Kagami in the Rain
by Razgriz89
Summary: Rain, a symbol of gloominess and sorrow. It is in this weather that boy and girl come face to face. But why does it feel different when its Kagami in the rain? Last chapter featuring a trailer for the sequel. COMPLETED 12.7.07
1. Downpour

_Rain…a symbol of gloominess and sorrow. To others, it's only an ordinary seasonal downpour. To the intellectual ones, it's the element that will fight El Niño. It is in this weather that boy and girl come face to face to tell each other what they have been hiding th__e__ entire time.__ It is also in this weather that life will be put to the test to its extremities.__ But why does it feel different when it is…_

**"****Kagami**** in the Rain"**

_The following__ set of events take__ place during her second year in __the cold rainy season_

_Chapter 1: Downpour_

_"Today this afternoon, the city will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with rain showers and thunderstorms brought about by the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone. Although the possibility of flash floods within the city proper are very dull, the public is asked to stay away from low-lying areas which may flood soon because of the torrential rains. Temperatures will range from 23-29 degrees Celsius and the rain shower may continue until next week." _

It was the heaviest downfall of the season. A shower of raindrops created puddles in the streets and in the mud. There was no wind though—just drops of rain. Gray clouds stay airborne as they bring forth waves of raindrops to the city. From bird's eye view is the view of open umbrellas of different designs moving about around the city. Several umbrellas were transparent ones, making heads of its users visible. Others were in raincoats; protected against speedy cars that drove through small puddles of water and splashing anyone or anything nearby. Today has been a long day and everyone wants to go home and rest up for the rest of the days of their lives.

However, these rainy nights proved restless and uneasy for one high school girl. She hasn't touched her homework for tomorrow and she couldn't eat a bite of her younger twin's butter cookies. Instead, she grabbed her towel and went to the bathroom. It was 7:30 in the evening. Something was needed to be done otherwise its fun time with her history teacher.

"Too sudden…" she said to herself. "It's too sudden…I don't know how to reply."

As the hot water filled up the bath tub, the girl looked at herself in the mirror just above the sink. What she sees is her physical representation—the same eyes, hair, face, facial expression and more. It wasn't what she was looking for.

"I have to do something. I can't let him wait for too long."

Time passed by like clockwork. It is what moving this motionless reality in this purpose-driven life. In a hot bath, there was no time—just pure enjoyment and relaxation of the body. She wanted to forget that sudden situation but her heart wouldn't allow such an action. She stepped into the tub naked and lounged in the tubful of hot water.

"I know I'm not lucky at this…this is just too much. I didn't ask for this. At least, not yet…"

Hiiragi Kagami wished to be admired by who she is. Finally, that wish became reality... in the form of an old childhood friend.

The rain subsided the next day but the gray clouds still pose a possibility of a fresh wave. The school was already full of students waiting for their first subjects respectively. Conversations were enjoyed by many—a lively scene. Almost everybody had a chat buddy just centimeters from their faces. While her two classmate friends are still on their merry way, Kagami looked out the window. The same gray clouds that brought forth yesterday's rain were still looming over the horizon. The glass panes were full of drops of rain. A school day morning had just turned into a cloudy weather with possibilities of a complete downpour of a fresh wave of condensed water vapor. Even after a good bath and a good night's sleep, the feeling still stayed. Unless she pulled herself together, she won't be on the right track at least for today's classes.

The silence was broken when her younger twin, Tsukasa came to her.

"_Onee__-san_, can I borrow your history textbook? I left mine at home."

"Again…? That's the third time this month."

"I'm really sorry. I studied hard for today's quiz and I kind of left it this morning."

Regardless of her excuse (or any excuses for that matter), Kagami handed out her history textbook right from the bag. Her twin may not be as good as herself but twins help each other out—like in baton passing.

"Make sure you return it to me afterwards." Kagami said.

"Thank you _onee__-san_, you can count on me."

That was only a part of the story—a random happening in this purpose-driven life. It did little effect for Kagami to forget the random occurrences yesterday. Even if she forgets it, it will become part of her well-being—a part of her memory. It is by nature that all people desire to know. To not know is mortifying, even for someone who reads the morning paper every morning seven times a week.

Another breaking of silence occurred…in an unfashionable method from behind her.

"_Potemkin!" _

It was so well-planned, Kagami let out a horrendous shriek across the classroom. Luckily, the classroom conversations were louder than she could scream. Nobody even heard her scream; the room was muffled with talk shows of their own.

"Konata!"

"Surprised, Kagamin?"

"Is that how you greet someone early in the morning?"

"Ho, ho, ho…looks like somebody woke up from the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Shut up, I did NOT!"

"Anyway, can I borrow your history textbook? I left mine at home."

"Too late…I already lent it to Tsukasa."

"You prefer her over me?"

"What kind of a question is that?"

"Never mind, I'll get mine from my locker."

"Whoa! Wait up! Your locker…? So you do have one all along!"

"I just don't like going up and down too many times."

"Tell it to someone who's as lazy as you."

The school bell (not exactly a bell) rang, marking the start of classes.

"…ack! It's too early to ring, ring time!" Konata said, surprised.

"You're being delusional. Better hurry or Kuroi-sensei will…you know…"

"You seem to be underestimating me, Kagamin. I can get to class before Kuroi-sensei even makes the first step."

"Yup, you're not being delusional. You're already seeing things."

That very long tête-à-tête should have uplifted Kagami's spirit significantly. The problem isn't the idea of the problem but the effect of thinking about it. For her, Konata's mischievousness is just what the doctor ordered. She's lucky to have friends who assist one another (in a way that is beyond her expectations). Unfortunately, the effect was only temporary. It returned to disrupt her image once again during her first class. Despite her great attempt to stay focused on more important matters, the battle for control raged on until the end of the period.

In between the previous and the next periods, Tsukasa returned to her sister's classroom bringing back the history textbook that she borrowed a while ago. But she wasn't wearing the happy face unlike a while ago. It was more of her "I can't stand it" look in the face.

"How did the test go?" Kagami asked.

"I studied the wrong topic!" Tsukasa replied, embarrassed, as she returned the textbook. "I have no idea how the test will turn out."

"What did you study then?"

"I was reading some pages about absolutism and aristocracy until Yuki-chan told me the test was all about the next topic."

"You should've asked then before reviewing."

"But I really want to do things with my own abilities so I can be like you, _onee__-san._"

"Don't worry; there'll come more chances for you."

"Kuroi-sensei's going to kill me."

"Don't say that!"

Aside from a total screw-up, how did Konata do? One thing's for sure…she wasn't happy upon entering Kagami's classroom.

"That test was merciless." Konata complained.

"Not so cocky now, are we?" a grinning Kagami replied.

"Kuroi-sensei must've gotten wasted last night."

"Nonsense, you're just too lazy to even open a book—"

"—but not too lazy to break the high score!"

"(Seriously, get a life.)"

"Before I forget, want to have lunch in the rooftop later?"

"Sorry but I promised Kusakabe that I would have lunch with her."

"Aw…but it's no fun without you, Kagamin."

"(You comprise all the fun so stop pretending.) I have to keep a promise or it'll ruin my image."

"Ho, ho, ho…the only image you have is an image of an orc."

"Shut up and go!"

The gap between subjects was over when Kuroi-sensei entered into Kagami's class this time. From the calm looks of her, she seemed to be in a very good mood.

"Good morning, y'all, I hope you had a good study time and a good night's rest. Why you ask? It's because this pop quiz will leave none standing ho, ho, ho…"

"(Kuroi-sensei, you don't make any sense.)" Kagami whispered.

Yesterday, she was all gloomy. Today, all of it changed after series of random musings. The question is: will it last long enough to forget?

It had been a long day. Kagami's tremendous focus let her survived one school day for now. Somehow she made it through Kuroi-sensei's "quiz of doom". It wasn't unusual for her, considering that she's the crème of the crop. Her friends were just waiting outside because of the sudden downpour of rain. It was the same as yesterday. None of them have umbrellas and Kagami is the only one right inside her shoe locker. It's obvious that the irony is the four of them fitting under her parasol.

Forget the irony! Someone left a note in Kagami's shoe locker. It had the kanji characters for her family name written on the face of the letter. Plus it had the scent that smelled like expensive perfume. To leave a note like that…that person must be really desperate for admiration. It was impolite to leave a note unread so…

_"We've known each other since childhood. We've went through every obstacle our lives could throw at us. We've helped each other in our weaknesses and became better persons. I've withheld my feelings for a long time. Now that we are in our senior year, it's time to let out my emotions. I have always admired you for who you are. I know that you are lonely because no one would share your interests. __I know that you're shocked at whatever I said yesterday. It's the calling of my heart, not my will. __The words that you see right now on this letter won't suffice my feelings for you. So I'm asking you to meet me at Tokyo Tower on a Sunday morning. I'll be just outside if you can't find me. I've waited for too long for this. Sunday morning will be the time I will confess to you." _

"Kagami-san, what seems to be the problem?" The ever-kind Miyuki asked.

"Oh nothing much…"

"Shall we get going?"

"Sure."

Again, the sensation struck her and what's even worse is it struck at a bad time. For how long must she be haunted by this sensation? She wanted to forget but she can't keep a person waiting. She wanted to say "I'm sorry" right in his face but she's impotent—able but not willing to do so. As the rain poured down on the ground like a shower in the bathroom, she looked at her wavy reflection in every puddle of water she came across. There was no clear reflection of her—only a wavy representation of such figure. The rain continued its torrential downpour. There was no wind.

Rain…a symbol of gloominess and sorrow. To others, it's only an ordinary seasonal downpour. To the intellectual ones, it's the element that will fight El Niño. It is in this weather that boy and girl come face to face to tell each other what they have been hiding the entire time. It is also in this weather that life will be put to the test to its extremities. But why does it feel different when it is…Kagami in the rain…

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Parasol

_Chapter 2: __Parasol_

What makes a man…a man? Is it from his excellent physique and his wealth? Is it from his wonderful courting techniques that move the girls he courts? Tradition explains that a manly man is based from the characteristics aforementioned. Most of the youthful feminine population digs these kinds of men from around the world. It has been a common knowledge that a manly man is strong and pleasing to the feminine population. A manly man must resist all attacks physically and mentally. A manly man is also the type who goes to the gym everyday to build up his strength and shape up his blazing courage. Most of all, a manly man is able to tell everything he has been concealing in the shadows for the past time periods of his life: the most important manly factor—something Kagami's admirer has among the aforementioned elements of manliness.

The rain seemed to show no signs of stopping. The torrent would continue for at least until the end of the week according to the weatherman. Kagami didn't need to worry about fitting her three friends under her umbrella. Tsukasa was very eager to try out her new raincoat (wait, a raincoat…in high school?). Miyuki forgot the fact that she had an umbrella with her the entire time. So who's the odd one out?

"You're the last person I want to share my umbrella with." Kagami said.

"Hmm…you should be sharing your umbrella with a boy." Konata replied.

"Let me guess, another anime reference."

"I guess it doesn't happen much in real life."

"Not exactly…I have a friend back at middle school. She used to share her umbrella with every boy at campus."

"Aha! A flag has been triggered! She must be lucky…"

"Really…?"

"Unlike SOME of us…"

"And just who are you referring to?"

"Ho, ho, ho…somebody's jea…jea…jea—"

"Okay, stop! Don't say it!"

"Unbelievable, quick reaction time…I'm impressed, Kagamin."

"Is that supposed to be some sort of compliment?"

Upon boarding the train home, they were temporarily shielded against the torrent. Of course, they will have to walk the distance under the torrent again. The view of the houses and electric posts ran past them along the way. The train was traveling so fast, the rain was nearly invisible but splattered on everything below it. Drops of rain flooded the glass windows. It was cold outside and it was colder inside the train.

"Cold…!" Konata: the first one to complain about the climate, shivered.

"I think you'll stay warm if you breathe into your hands, rub them against each other, and into your arms." Miyuki suggested.

"As long as I stay warm, I'll do anything."

Kagami just thought of a great idea. "Say, I know a more effective way."

…and Konata fell for it: "Really…?"

"But you have to promise to not ask for my homework—"

"Oh, sorry I don't know those hard Nippon words."

"Screw you…"

Kagami tries to have fun as much as she can for she doesn't have a clue when the next of those love letters will strike again. Forgetting the issue was out of the choices list. If she wanted to put an end to something, she had to do it herself.

The agreed time was still three days away—plenty of time to think of what to say to him. The place was far from here: Tokyo Tower. It seemed that the necessary ingredients have gathered in one place to create one big fuss. Well, that's what she thought. She could have the entire 72 hours to think of what to say to him in relation to the incident yesterday. But she doesn't have 72 years to wait for an answer from him when she would answer him. In the event that Kagami refused to go, the issue would prolong itself until it has been put to rest by proper action.

So…what did happen yesterday anyway?

_It didn't rain yesterday but the gray clouds looming over the horizon served as a prospect. The sun never did shine on that day—just heavy rainclouds waiting for the go signal by nature. __Konata had to go ahead of her because nobody would look after her cousin Yutaka who is sick at bed. Tsukasa took too long a time to freshen up before going home. Miyuki also had to go ahead of her because of the load of homework plus the deadline of papers in the student council. Kagami was left waiting only for her sister__ to "emerge victoriously from battle"_

_"That Tsukasa…she's taking too long."_

_Suddenly, she was approached by a tall shadow behind. _

_"Hiiragi Kagami, I presume?"_

_"Yes?"_

_When she turned around, both eyes met for very long. What approached her wasn't only a shadowy figure. He was a teenaged boy at his senior year; __as tall as her__had __wavy hair, eyes that match Kagami's, __and on his hand were…_

_"I handpicked these flowers myself." He said; giving two white roses, thorn-free, to Kagami. "They're very lovely because I tended them myself—as lovely as…uh…right; roses of the world."_

_"Um…are you from this school too?"_

_"Oh I totally forgot to introduce myself. I'm a senior here—Hajime Takashi."_

_"I…uh…don't know what to say."_

_"Don't fret, Kagami-san. I anticipated you'll be in shock after this. Please take the rest of the day to realize what my true intentions are." _

_"You must have the wrong person. These flowers must be for somebody else. I'm only a junior and you're…"_

_"Age doesn't matter to me. __They're__ only numbers which divide our society."_

_"__Takashi-senpai, I…really, you must be mistaking these roses for somebody else. I never have been approached like this before."_

_"There's no doubt in my heart, Kagami-san. I 'admire' you for who you are…your looks, your smarts, your friends…these are some things that I don't have since the __beginning __of time."_

_Kagami went from explaining to speechless. _

_"I may be an upperclassman and I should be mingling with my own kind. But that's what divides the society today. Superior people pick on weak people to show what they're capable of. Please give me this chance to be with you for at least a matter of time. I will await your decision in the future, Kagami-san. Either way, I will respect your decision." _

_Hajime walked out of the school grounds and out into the open road. Kagami was left aghast with two pure white roses in her hands. Just as soon as Hajime left, Tsukasa came. _

_"I'm sorry onee-san. The comfort room ran out__ of toilet paper__ and I had to cry out for help.__ Good thing Kuroi-sensei was around when it happened.__ It's kind of embarrassing though. Ah, did Kona-chan and Yuki-chan go on ahead of us?"_

_"Yeah…"_

_"I was going to return the manga I borrowed from Kona-chan afterwards.__"_

_"Yeah…"_

_"Onee-san, that wasn't a question. Are you okay?"_

_"Yeah…"_

_"Ah, onee-san, we have to hurry! I have to watch 7:00 pm rerun of the final episode!"_

_"Yeah…"_

_It was a short, sweet scene; just one of the short, sweet scenes of the purpose-driven life. However, that short and sweet scene served as a prologue to the next set of unpredictable events that will happen particularly to Kagami. Her admirer proved a fraction of his manliness; and he__ was__ ready to prove it further in the future. _

It had only been a day after the incident. It was unimaginable that a few minutes of confession by a stranger could have a 24-hour effect on her. Not that it was against her will but everything moved very sudden. It's as if the world rotated and revolved twice faster than the original. Somehow the torrential rain was trying to say something to Kagami. When she and her sister got off the correct station and opened up her umbrella, the rain splattered on the surface of the parasol. Along the way, they came across a beautiful flower shop with blossoming flowers on display. Kagami looked at the white roses that were identical to the ones she received from Hajime. She wondered if he lied about the flowers being handpicked from his garden.

Kagami insisted on walking home but Tsukasa was too amazed to even move a step; looking at the pretty petals.

"They're beautiful! Let's buy some for mom and dad."

"For what occasion…?"

"Nothing, I just want to make them happy."

Upon the word "happy", Kagami realized something very important—so very important it could change of how she thought about not the flowers but the guy who gave it to her.

"(What if…his intention was only to make me happy? No, I must be delusional. Nobody has ever done that before. But a possibility is a possibility.)" Kagami said. "Tsukasa, let's go."

"Aw…five more minutes…"

"Okay then…too bad you'll miss the rerun."

"Ah, onee-san…!"

It could be a leeway that what had happened yesterday was nothing more but an act of joy and not an act of love. Kagami's hopes flickered like the friction action in a lighter.

As soon as they've arrived home, Kagami wanted nothing more but to rest up before studying. Walking in cold weather made her beat; and she didn't change clothes upon arrival. Looking at two white roses in a tall vase on top of her desk, she thought about various kinds of stuff just to keep the lovey-dovey situation off her mind for the moment. Surely it could've been an act of kindness for her part instead of an act of romantic circumstance. Then again, there is probability that she could be wrong. It was only a possibility, not actuality itself. There was only one way to find out—and that only way was the road to Tokyo Tower.

"(Okay, I'll go to Tokyo Tower on Sunday. Then I'll end this misconception once and for all.)"

Meanwhile at Miyuki's place, somebody came in for a visit.

"Oh hello, you're just in time. She just came home from school." The ever-joyful Yukari Takara greeted.

As this somebody helped himself in, a need to surprise Miyuki was unnecessary. She came to him. So who's this somebody?

"It's been a while, Miyuki. You've grown to be quite a lady."

"It has been a couple of years, hasn't it Cousin Hajime?"

"Long years…but this year it's going to be exciting."

"Why do you say so?"

"I may have found at school my destiny."

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Cumulonimbus

_Chapter 3: Cumulonimbus _

"When there's smoke, there's fire" as the saying goes. When there is a cause, there's always an effect; and vice versa. If there are many police cruisers in the vicinity, then there must be a crime scene nearby. When there's smoke inside the house, it must be the Christmas roast in the oven or someone in the family smoking some nicotine sticks. Obviously, if there are clouds—like cumulonimbus clouds in the area, then there's bound to be rain; or perhaps a downpour. It can't be helped actually. Nature has its own domain and controlling them for personal gain will make her very, very, very angry. Effects of causes give way to other effects. When there are cumulonimbus clouds, there's bound to be rain. Plus, if they don't show signs of stopping then it will result in a flood. The transition is endless unless an outside force intervenes with the process. Floods will result in damages to property which will result in frustrated property owners which will result to a dangerous increase in blood pressure which will result in hypertension and hospital check-up and so on.

Previously, Kagami is left of two choices: go to Tokyo Tower this Sunday to close the deal or ignore the letter and live life to the fullest. Either way, the effects will be life-changing. In the event she does go will result to a settling of misconceptions that will result to agreement between boy and girl that will result in a developing friendship that will result to a mutual understanding between them and so on. Otherwise, it could result in sad moments which could lead to kilos of depression on their burden of life which could lead to regret which could lead to lose of temperance and so on. In short, either way has chains of consequences waiting. No wonder she had a hard time deciding. But now that she chose the latter as her fate, turning back would waste everything she had hoped for.

"Kagami, there's a phone call for you." Her mother, Miki, called. "It's Konata-chan!"

Immediately, Kagami hurried down the stairs and picked up the handset. The family phone isn't the modern cordless innovation but tradition makes it up for the use of the spinning dial phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kagamin…!"

"You are NOT calling here for my homework, aren't you?"

"I'm not asking for help. I'm asking you if you're free this Sunday."

"Sunday…? Sorry, I have plans."

"Ho, ho, ho, what kind of plans Kagamin…?"

"Plans like…it's none of your beeswax…!"

"Aha! Kagamin has finally found a…a…b-b-b…"

"Oh, do you hear that? It must be the stove; I'd better check it out."

"Stove…? You COOK?"

"Ah, the roast is burning, I'd better get that."

"W-Wait—"

"Bye."

Konata heard the crashing of the handset from the speaker. From the looks of things, she was acting pretty weird.

"I was just going to ask Tsukasa for the manga."

Meanwhile, Miyuki and Hajime are really cousins by blood. Now that that fact is known, what brought Hajime to the Takara household?

"When my mother said that there would be a mystery guest coming, I didn't think that it would be you." Miyuki said.

"I'm surprised to see you as a fine lady after all these years." Hajime replied. "I've spent most of my life at Kanagawa, miles apart from you."

"I'm really glad you decided to drop by. How's grandpa?"

"Still his jolly old self…he's about to break the 80 barrier soon and still thinks like a child. I guess he doesn't want to let go of his youth."

"Pardon me for asking this question but: why did you never come to see me at my classroom every break time? At least you won't be lonely."

"That's…kind of complicated to explain. Better if you don't know it."

That's much of the family reunion. Hajime is as kind as his young cousin Miyuki. In fact, Hajime never picked a fight even in the event that alley thugs did. His intellect matched that of purple pigtails and he is also a member of the student council. He had been hiding this formal feeling since the first day of school during his first year. It was kind of odd because there should be great pain before a formal feeling such as this. He did experience great pain—concealing his feelings toward her; it inflicted damage emotionally. He could hold on but for how long? How long will she make Kagami wait? How long will Kagami make him wait? He decided that Tokyo Tower will be the place and Sunday will be the time. He must face this ordeal like a man even if there's less than one percent chance of success.

With the intended day 72 hours away and the intended place a train ride and several tracks away, Kagami prepared herself for the inevitable. Any of the choices could and would make or break her ego. She has never been very lucky at "triggering a flag". It wasn't only a question on what to answer to her admirer but also how to answer.

Surely, life knows how to mess things up and fix them at the same time.

"Should I tell my family about this?" Kagami asked herself; looking out the raindrop-infested window. From there, the view of the world was divided into clusters of raindrops. "No, that would complicate everything. They may even not permit me to go on a Sunday with a boy."

The silence was broken when a certain somebody replied to that matter. "Gee, I wonder who that boy could be."

Kagami turned around; "Matsuri onee-san…!"

"I see that you finally have what romance wants: a boy! Wait till they hear about this."

"No wait, don't tell anybody!"

"Why shouldn't I? It's a part of life, you know. How could we even exist in this world if mom and dad didn't love each other?"

"It's not a matter of existence. It's only someone crushing on me."

"And you fell for it?"

At that critical moment, Kagami let out an outburst of emotions.

"You don't make sense! This is something I have to do alone!"

The sound of rolling thunder roared as loud as it was made to be. Both sisters stopped their oral arguments and turned their backs on one another.

"Okay then, I won't tell anybody." Matsuri finally gave up. "But I won't be held responsible for whatever you do."

"I know that. Keep your word for it." Kagami replied.

It's only up to her sister to uphold her word. If all goes well, Kagami may get through this ordeal. The opposite will spell disaster not only in friends and family but to the most important element of life: her lifelong journey.

As one day drew closer to the intended agreement, Kagami felt the pressure from the comforts of the household. She accidentally told her older sister Matsuri something that she or anyone in the family should not know. It was a rainy Friday morning—48 hours until the life-changing event. To others, 48 hours is plenty enough of time to think of something to give for a loved one. To reports that needed to be rushed, it was a short time for to them: hours pass like seconds. For Kagami, 48 hours is in between enough of time and lack of time. Upon arriving at school, she sat down on her desk only to find a piece of paper sandwiched between the desk and the rim of the compartment below it. She had to read it in secrecy so she opened it behind an open history book.

_Kagami-san, this is merely optional. Please meet me at the rooftop after school. I want to show you something. You can choose not to come. I know your schedule has been hectic lately considering that __you're a member of the student council, a class representative, and someone who takes her studies very seriously. I just want to know if you're interested. But then again, you can choose not to go. _

Of course, she knew where the anonymous letter came from. It wasn't new to her at all. Many times that she has been left several notes during her life but none of them ever came close to "triggering a flag". That will depend on today's homework for tomorrow. If Kuroi-sensei is in a good mood, she may choose not give out fun pages to work on at all. Today's forecast showed cloudy skies with rain showers and thunderstorms as usual. It even began to rain heavily. The rest of the days until weekend may experience torrential rains that possibly won't go away. She wondered if it would rain on the day that boy and girl would meet. The view would be obstructed by raindrop-infested glass panes located several miles above the ground.

As soon as the class started, a shower of rain gushed outside the building. It was strong and really coming down but there was no wind. A chance of flood was imminent unless the torrential rains would stop to smell the roses. She seemed to be taking down notes from today's lecture. Upon closer inspection, she was writing Hajime's full name in kanji all over the page. When the teacher started walking in between desks while reading a passage from the book that was the time when she ripped the page off and hid it in her pocket. The teacher went past her without a single bit of suspicion of inattentiveness.

Kagami was given a choice not to see Hajime after class. She decided to see him anyway because he might say something of the utmost concern. That is, if he has something to say of the utmost concern.

On the lighter side, Konata and Tsukasa hurried to the rooftop on a cloudy noon. The rain stopped momentarily so they took this opportunity. They have different matters that doesn't concern Kagami's situation as we speak. Konata draws out her new DS from her pocket and flipped it open before turning it on.

"I did so well on the exams last time, Dad bought me a DS as an advanced Christmas gift." She explained.

"Wow, you sure have a thoughtful dad, Kona-chan."

"Actually…we sort of made a deal. A 95 can be either a PSP or a DS. You should try it out on your dad."

"I wouldn't go that far. Besides, I'm happy with my cell phone."

"(sigh There are cooler stuff than a cell phone.)"

Konata was starting up her saved game when the door opened. If she was caught bringing a gaming device at school, especially Kuroi-sensei, it would be confiscated and Konata will be dealing not only with the witness but the head honcho of the school. Behind the door was the most inconspicuous person that none of them could ever guess in a million years: Shiraishi Minoru.

"Ah, there you are! Kuroi-sensei wants to have a word with you two." He stated the details.

"What could she want from the both of us?" Tsukasa asked.

"Beats me; I was only instructed to do so."

The DS would have to wait. Kuroi-sensei was calling them. The last thing their teacher wants to see in them is the DS in which Konata's dad worked hard to afford it as a prize for doing well on the exams in which Konata herself worked long hours to internalize every lesson tackled throughout the months before exams. Imagine something that sweat and hard work earned taken away in one swipe of the teacher's hand. When they went back inside, the sound of gushing rain bellowed. The gray cumulonimbus clouds that brought forth rain for the past few days got darker than the last time. It seemed that it was ready to let it all out in one go.

Meanwhile still looking out the window, Kagami changed her mind about meeting Hajime today after school because of the sudden gushing of the rain. After all, it was completely optional so it should be okay for him. The open field was soaked in rain and full of puddles. Being soaked completely under this torrential shower at first would definitely be sipping chicken soup in bed in the end. She already had the cold once; she couldn't afford to take a day or two out because of cold.

After the second half of the class session, everybody popped up their umbrellas and walked the distance to the safety of their roofs and ceilings back home. As usual, the four friends traced their steps to the train station under the rain. The afternoon quickly turned into night as the dark clouds blocked the right to sunlight. Kagami didn't feel like talking to them.

"I'm sorry but can I ask you girls a favor?" Kagami pleaded.

"And suddenly you're asking us a favor…? That's quite the unpredictable Kagamin for you—ho, ho, ho…" Konata replied.

"Can I ask you to take Tsukasa home? I have something to do."

"Huh?" A confounded Tsukasa responded. "But usually we go home together."

"I'm really sorry but something came up." Kagami explained.

Konata and Tsukasa were downright speechless; but Miyuki wasn't.

"Okay then, Kagami-san. You can count on us."

"Much obliged, Miyuki…well I'll be going now." Kagami said and ran off back to school.

"I wonder what's gotten into her." Konata said as she watched her went farther and farther. "She's been acting weird these past few days. I was only asking for my manga back when I talked with her on the phone."

"Ah! I'm sorry Kona-chan! I forgot the manga!" Tsukasa suddenly realized.

"You can keep it but it's going to cost you."

The rain seemed relentless. Kagami made tracks back to school. She hurried like there was no tomorrow. It's not like she forgot something back at her classroom. She always double-checks everything before leaving the campus. That wasn't the case when she went past the classroom where a small group of her classmates were still there waiting for the rain to subside. Among them and probably the only one who saw her running along the hallway was Kusakabe Misao, one of her classmate buddies.

"Huh? Wasn't that Hiiragi running?" She said, holding a broom. The small group was actually assigned to cleaning duty although traditionally the entire class would clean the room spotless.

"She left minutes ago. Maybe you're mistaking someone else." Another of Kagami's classmate buddies replied: Ayano Minegishi.

"I'm not mistaken! That was Hiiragi running a while ago! I'd better do some snooping."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. Besides, you still have the blackboard."

"Huh? I was on blackboard duty last week."

Regardless of her eagerness to determine Kagami's intentions in running along the hallway, she stayed and finished the cleaning duty.

A couple of floors and hundreds of running steps later, she reached the door to the topmost floor of the building—the rooftop. Behind it was the view of the grey cumulonimbus clouds, bombarding the vicinity with thousands of water bullets. Her true intentions were now evident: at the last second she had second thoughts about not meeting him today despite the fact that it was completely optional. She didn't want the others to know about this from the very start of the story so she asked them to take Tsukasa home. Still, the eerie feeling of something bad resided in her heart. There is also fear that Matsuri would eventually confess to the uninformed others about Kagami. The rain clouds were very dark…as dark as the possible consequences of absolute secrecy.

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Lightning

_Chapter 4: __Lightning_

Behind the door to the rooftop were the sound of heavy rains and probably Kagami's admirer if he was still there. Opening the door was simple to almost everybody in the world but to her, it felt like such a grave action to take. In between the torrent of the river of Kagami's life stood two fortresses: standing ground and withdrawing. She faced another decision-making situation and time wasn't on her side. Like all the other options in this purpose-driven life, she could only choose one among the others—one that dominated her mind and heart; and one that called out her name in a soft whisper. In the torrent of her river of life, she could seek refuge in either of the fortresses but she could only choose one; one that would affect her personality and reputation forever and add up to the archives of her life. Slowly she touched the doorknob with her right hand—touched but didn't turn yet. It was graver than touching the knob. Questions popped up in her mind.

"What do I really want in my life? Is this what I wished for? I always complain about not being lucky at love but…now that this happens, why am I still complaining? Is this the right thing to do? How will I explain this once the word is out?" There were too many questions to even enumerate; some of them being beyond her understanding. Disturbed by the unfortunate series of events, she unhesitatingly turned the doorknob and pushed the door outward with tremendous amount of force. Kagami ran outside and looked around her surroundings—no Hajime, just streams of rain soaking her wet.

"It looks like I'm too late. It figures…I should've met him at least for a couple of minutes." Kagami said to herself; followed by the first streams of tears that blended with the wet rooftop. An instant strike of lightning made her fell down to her knees under the torrential rains and the cold climate; followed by a roaring thunder.

She could even hear voices calling out to her. "Hiiragi! Hiiragi!" These weren't voices of the mind; more like a call from the outside world. "Somebody pull her out of the rain, hurry!" She saw the gray clouds going farther and farther away from her, and eventually everything became dark…as dark as a room without any lights on midnight.

"Steady now; get a towel. She's soaking wet!"

"That idiot, what the heck is she doing on the rooftop?! Lightning can kill!"

"Hiiragi! Please answer us! Hiiragi!"

"It's no use, she's out cold."

"Hiiragi, please give us a sign that you're okay!"

Kuroi-sensei happened to pass by the classroom full of students on cleaning duties. She overheard the various panicking noises coming out of the room.

"Hey, what's going on here? Don't you guys have cleaning to do?"

"Sensei, its Hiiragi!" One student at a time satisfied Kuroi-sensei's curiosity

"What about her?"

"We found her lying on the wet rooftop. We drew her out of the cold rain as quick as possible. I believe that she was struck by lightning."

"Say what?! Has she lost her marbles? Bring her to the infirmary immediately!"

"But the nurse just left several minutes ago."

"I don't care if there's no nurse in this school! Bring her to the infirmary immediately!"

As instructed by the teacher, several boys carried the comatose Kagami into the nurse's office across the hallway. In the office, she was put in a soft bed as the remaining students crowded the office. Among the crowd were two of her best friends; now worrying and troubled. Nobody knew the exact cause of her actions…even Kuroi-sensei. Misao and Ayano were getting anxious. Rain may not be lethal but whatever that made their friend down for the count was killing them.

"Listen, you all, I don't want a fuss in this school." Kuroi-sensei suddenly announced. "Whatever happened today, keep it to yourselves, got it?"

"Yes, sensei…!"

Everything happened too sudden—the confession at first and now this one. The rain suddenly got stronger; plus accompanied by lightning. It would be too dangerous for the students to stay for any longer otherwise they would be stranded for the night. The teacher sent them packing for safety before the rain gets anymore stronger. Only two of the troubled crowed refused to pack up and go; and these were her best classmate buddies.

"I'm sorry sensei but…we simply can't rest easy." Ayano said.

"Not with Hiiragi like that…" Misao added.

"I know how you feel but it's simply too risky to stay at school with the rain gushing and ferocious thunderstorms." Kuroi-sensei defended her stand.

"Then so be it."

"We'll do whatever it takes; just let us stay with Hiiragi."

"You do know that this is no prank. Are you even willing to stay here until she wakes up?"

"Yes, sensei..."

In this purpose-driven life, there are instances of great pain and decisive victory. Kagami had suffered a heavy defeat in this battle of life—well at least for now. Such defeat was regretting something that she hadn't done in the first place. Regretting was one thing but deception by destiny was another. With that being said, she had been deceived by destiny. The latter is not a bad element; the former happening is.

The torrential rains worsened as nightfall approached. Thunderstorms became very frequent upon nightfall. Kagami was still in bed with no sign of being okay to the outside world. A shower of water plus electric currents created a grave disaster. People being struck by lightning had only little chances of surviving because of its voltage beyond human resistance. Apparently she could resist a high voltage like any person could but she was soaking wet at that time. In one terrifying blow, she collapsed in the wet rooftop. Luckily, Misao wasn't convinced that it wasn't Kagami who ran across the hallway a while ago so she followed her tracks with Ayano after cleaning. It was too absurd to be some kind of suicidal plan to end the suffering. She wouldn't think of dying early; not until her duty on the living world was complete.

In front of the Hiiragi household, the three were offered shelter inside the home. Tsukasa was getting worrisome. Constant lightning strikes and thunderstorms made her worry very much as water conducts electricity.

"Tsukasa, where's your sister?" Her mother asked worryingly.

"She said she had something to do back at school. I don't know what."

"I hope she's safe. These lightning storms are deadly to the core."

Miyuki tried some words of encouragement.

"Tsukasa-san…"

"Huh?"

"Everything will be alright, don't worry. I believe in Kagami-san. You should, too."

"Yuki-chan…"

"If anyone can get through this, it's her."

Words like those left Tsukasa enlightened with a shimmering shower of hope; which was cool and all that. What will become of twins when one is gone? Still, even the wisest of best and the best of the wisest cannot be particularly sure about the events. They had high hopes for her safe return but only time will make or break such assertion.

"The rain's really coming down." Konata said. "I can't go home in this weather."

"Perhaps it's wise to stay here for the moment." Miyuki suggested.

"Good idea, Miyuki-san! At least I get free access to her homework."

"Um…that's not what I meant…"

Back at school Ayano, Misao, and Kuroi-sensei continued to watch over their literally-shocked friend. The simple drizzle of the afternoon exponentially grew to an all-out shower by nightfall. Judging by the conditions outside and the presence of lightning and thunder, going home was out of the question. They have their umbrellas unfortunately they were even too scared to step foot outside every time lightning strikes and thunder roars. A dire hit could destroy the power grids around the area. A severe lightning strike and loud roar of the skies knocked out the telephone lines. They couldn't call for help outside the campus, hence, stranded in the school. The torrential rains flooded the streets as high as their leather shoes. Of all the days of the entire revolution of the Earth, it had to be this day that disasters occurred.

They took turns in watching over Kagami. It was seven o' clock: it was Misao's turn to take over Ayano's post. Kuroi-sensei rested up because she volunteered for the late night shift (10:00 pm – 5:00 am if it took that long for Kagami to wake up). It had been approximately three hours since she was attacked by Mother Nature's wrath. There was no change in her condition—still unconscious as usual but still drawing breath every second. It was the first time in the history of the school that somebody was actually struck by lightning as electrifying as touching an electric eel.

Then, a miraculous sign—Kagami's hands twitched and her eyes slowly slightly opened. The one in charge hurriedly alerted the rest of the three-woman crew.

"Hey Hiiragi, pull yourself together!" Kuroi-sensei exclaimed.

"S…Sensei, where am I?" Kagami was awake but still not stable.

"In the infirmary…you're pretty lucky to have survived that lightning attack. It almost killed you! What made you go into the rooftop anyway?"

"Lightning…? I…I was supposed to meet…somebody…but I was too late to show up."

"Thanks to your blunder, we're all stranded here for the night. It's even too dangerous now to go home now that the simple downpour has turned into a storm surge."

"My apologies…sensei…"

"Rest up. We'll move out in the morning. I'll convince the other teachers to excuse all of you from classes tomorrow."

It seemed that the goddess of fortune was on their side. However since Kagami had to sit tomorrow out, she couldn't meet Hajime tomorrow. She never gave out her contacts to him. Also, she wondered if she would be able to go to Tokyo Tower two days from now. Her feet still trembled, creating difficulties even in standing up.

"Can you stand up?" Misao asked her.

"Barely…" Kagami answered with an unexpected smirk.

All of them weren't ready to leave yet. They are all stuck inside the school for at least until the heavy rains die down. They took this opportunity to rest up in the infirmary.

An hour had passed and the twins' mother was more than worried. Konata and Miyuki made their respective calls at their homes; telling their parents that they couldn't make it home until the rain dies down (somehow they understood the situation they were in). Tsukasa couldn't get any homework done; not without her stranded sister helping her. Feeling somehow responsible as a friend, Miyuki dedicated herself to helping Tsukasa out while Konata watched a program randomly on TV.

Meanwhile at the doorstep, the couple argued.

"You can't go outside. Rain showers and lightning storms are running amok out there." The wife argued.

"I have to. This is Kagami we're talking about." The husband stood his ground; wearing a raincoat and grabbing the umbrella.

"You might get hurt out there. Wait for the storm to subside."

"Every minute we wait here is a part of our daughter's life being taken away."

"I respect your faith, dear. But for once please listen to reason."

The husband spoke no more. He opened the door to the raging monsoon outside and opened his umbrella as he stepped out of the house.

"Tadao, that's suicide!" She yelled; crying.

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. Drizzle

_Chapter 5: __Drizzle_

"It seems the rain shows no signs of stopping." Konata suddenly realized that fact. "I won't be able to level up my character if it goes like this."

Konata and Miyuki were a train ride apart from their respective homes. Going through this rainy hell just to get home was suicide enough. It wasn't the rain that was making the hell but its lethal set of friends: thunder and lightning. Of course, the chances of being hit were high as long as a person stayed on top of a structure like what Kagami did. But even at ground zero, the person can be at risk especially when that person is soaking wet. This was what the monsoon season meant: preparation for the inevitable—such as a storm surge. Even with the crème of the crop helping her, Tsukasa still felt very uneasy not because of the homework (with Miyuki helping her, almost nothing can go wrong) but it was more of the welfare of Kagami amidst the bad weather.

Back at school, the castaways were sitting ducks; not to mention hungry sitting ducks. They were starving; especially Misao who recently mistaken Kagami's right pigtail for yakisoba and even attempted to slurp the noodles into her hungry tummy. Several more hours like this and they may be having one another for dinner. The canteen was devoid of people and the storage for food was locked away for the night. They desperately wanted to go home where they would really find sanctuary. Unfortunately with weather like a storm surge, fate is just unfair. Water may suppress their hunger for the meantime. The faucet in the infirmary supplied them with clean water. It seems that they won't need to eat themselves.

A one-man rescue team was deployed from the Hiiragi household after a terrible argument with his wife. The gushing rain provided him nearly zero visibility. He depended on street lights that lit up the path on his way. No canal that he passed by was devoid of streaming water. Everywhere was a victim for flash floods. Lightning storms wreaked havoc. He passed by a narrow alley where a cat was found lifeless and drenched in the rain—perhaps a victim of a lightning strike except that the cat was very unfortunate. The man was determined to get in touch with his daughter at school. Since Kagami wouldn't even dare going out in a bad weather such as this, he suspected that she might be still at school waiting for the rain to die down. He had to hurry because men were more susceptible to lightning than women.

A flash of bright light from the night sky blew the school's fuse, causing a blackout. It was then followed by an earsplitting sound of rolling thunder. The girls back at school shrieked but eventually regained their cool.

"Kuroi-sensei, where are you?" Misao cried. "I can't see!"

"We all can't see. Now stay where you are or you may crash into something." Kuroi-sensei strictly instructed her.

"I so hate Thursdays."

"Hiiragi, how are you doing there?"

"She's a little bit shaken but fine."

"Let's hope that this rain won't last for long (I wonder how Izumi and Takara are doing.)."

Back at the Hiiragi household, the weatherman finally had said it.

_"__A typhoon has just been spotted 310 kilometers southeast of the country; with wind speeds of up to 120 k/h and gustiness of 140 k/h. It hasn't landed yet in the mainland but it has brought heavy rains with thunderstorms throughout the mainland and the southern regions of the country. It has also been reported, according to an unknown source, that a student of __Ryouou__ High School has been struck by lightning on her way home. She was brought to the hospital for treatment and currently in critical condition. The weather stations advises the public to stay into their homes and refrain from going out unless of the utmost importance."_

Hearing this news made them gasp in terror. A student of the school they go into, the unusual delay in Kagami's arrival, and her failure to answer her cell phone numerous times…they thought of one thing for sure: their friend was struck by lightning.

"Onee-san…" Tsukasa was the mostly-affected character. "No…"

"She should've come home with us in the first place." Konata said.

"It can't be…why…?"

It became clear to them now. That's what they thought because the factors matched the recent report of the weatherman on the TV. It could've been anyone from their school—any girl from their school. This supported Miyuki's opinion.

"Maybe it was another girl. We're not sure if it's really Kagami-san."

"But what if it is her?" Tsukasa cried.

"Please calm down. Let's not hope that it's really her."

"I can't take this anymore. I simply can't!"

Tsukasa ran crying into her room upstairs. The report of the unidentified victim of a lightning strike was too much for her to endure. Worse, the report said that the victim was in critical condition. That reason, alone, made her cry a river.

0

It began with a simple confession: "I admire you, Kagami-san". It then developed into a huge problem for Kagami. The only way to settle the problem with a childhood friend (in which she couldn't vastly remember anymore) was to go to Tokyo Tower on a Sunday. Moreover, she decided to keep a low profile concerning these things as so she wouldn't affect anybody in the process. It did no good however. Matsuri overheard her about the issue. Konata also suspected the existence of a flag in Kagami's life. Tsukasa was worried over her sister's weird actions back then. In fact, keeping something that should be shared among friends and family only did nothing but trouble, trouble, trouble. The scope of the problem has already affected too many people. Her quick change of mind led her to disaster. Ayano, Misao, and even Kuroi-sensei were forced to stay with her in the infirmary as heavy rains poured down from the clouds accompanied by lightning storms and the roaring of thunder. Her situation also forced her father to go out looking for her in the bad weather at which her mother lost at the argument. Also for the second time, Tsukasa was gravely affected through the mass media—the report of the victim of a lightning strike. It bore a hole into her heart that was so painful; it would remain a scar of the past for eternity. Was it still wise to keep such an issue a secret to everybody she cared for? She wasn't still in a position to answer that question. But one thing was certain: more and more people would be hurt by her actions physically, mentally, or emotionally; and to think it all started with a few words from an old friend of hers…how mortifying.

Eventually, Tsukasa's agony turned into sleep. The eldest of the sisters, Inori, watched over her since she needed some relief in the pain. Matsuri felt like explaining the cause of everything but she gave her word to Kagami; a promise is a promise. Konata and Miyuki also did their homework for tomorrow. It was already nine in the evening and Miyuki was feeling drowsy. She fought the drowsiness by pinching herself on the cheek. Konata didn't feel sleepy at all since she's used to late night runs such as late night online gaming and manga-reading. Both didn't feel like talking to each other; not after Tsukasa's trauma. Before they too would be badly distressed, they turned off the TV. The sound of the rain got louder because the TV was turned off.

A quiet place was too boring for Konata.

"Um, Miyuki-san…"

"What's the matter?"

"Do you really think that…it's not Kagami in the news?"

"Well, there was no name given…but it could be anyone…even Kagami-san."

"I see…I feel sorry for Tsukasa."

"Me too…"

"I wish there was something we could do to cheer her up."

"There is…but let's give her some elbow room for now."

"Elbow room; interesting choice of words…"

Back at the school's infirmary at which the entire campus was powerless, Ayano found some candles and a box of matches on the desk drawer. She lit the candles up and placed them in small, empty glass jars to hold them down. They didn't illuminate as much as the fluorescent lamps did but it made up for the entire infirmary being visible. Misao fell asleep after shifting with Ayano for watchdog duty. It was already nine in the evening. The heavy rains somehow weakened to a regular downpour after hours of terror in the rain. However they weren't taking any chances as the regular downpour might revert back into a strong rain one more time. They hoped for a drizzle and hoped for a contact with the outside world. The lightning incursion not only knocked out the power grid of the entire campus but also made all telephones dead. This was worse than being stranded in a deserted island in the middle of nowhere.

Kagami forced herself to stand up. She slowly rose from bed to give it a shot. Too bad she never made it to standing on two feet yet.

"You shouldn't stand up yet!" Ayano gently pushed her back to bed.

"Hey Hiiragi, don't force yourself to stand up. We're stuck here for the night." Kuroi-sensei said.

"The night…?"

"I mean for the time being."

"Sensei, don't you have a cell phone?"

"I uh, forgot to bring it with me."

It seemed that their only chance of survival depended on Mother Nature's decision to turn down the intensity of the storm. With no means of contact and the one-man rescue team still miles away, they don't have any idea what will happen next. It was wise of Kuroi-sensei to send the other students home because of the possibility of a stronger rain by nightfall; otherwise things would be more complicated. Misao and Ayano understood the risks of watching over Kagami until she recovers from a fatal blow.

They waited and waited for any sign of a miracle. When Ayano switched places with Kuroi-sensei for the late night shift, their patience have paid off. The loud sound of the rain shower quickly muted itself. The lightning and thunder were gone.

"Sensei, the rain…!" Ayano cried.

"How very fortunate of us…" Kuroi-sensei replied. "Hiiragi, can you stand up?"

"Barely, sensei…" Kagami answered honestly.

"Sensei, we'll help her."

"You and Kusakabe carry her to the building entrance. I'll accompany you."

The subsiding of the strong torrential precipitation also signaled the possibility of coming home for Konata and Miyuki.

"The rain has subsided. Now's our chance…!" Miyuki said.

"My thoughts exactly…!" Konata replied. "Let's find Kagamin!"

"But we'll get trapped in the rain if it regains strength again."

"You're right…but who will look for Kagamin, then?"

Then from out of the blue, someone behind them did the honor of answering that question.

"I will!"

Konata and Miyuki turned around; and for the first time in their lives they've seen one of their friends downright serious.

"Tsukasa?!"

TO BE CONTINUED


	6. Raingear

_Chapter 6: Rain__gear_

Konata and Miyuki, for the first time, saw an angry Tsukasa—not the type that they always see everyday. She was geared up with raingear—raincoat, umbrella, and rain boots. Somehow, the mass media shaped her from an innocent young girl to a determined dog that would seek out someone in trouble. If anyone was going to rescue Kagami from danger, it was Tsukasa.

"Tsukasa-san, please be reasonable." Miyuki said. "What if the rain gets stronger again?"

"Even if it rains fireballs, I will go." An absolutely serious Tsukasa answered.

"You can't go outside. You might get hurt."

"I'm sorry Yuki-chan…but at times like these, my sister is top priority."

She spoke no more and ran outside the subtle drizzle. Now there were two one-man teams in search for Kagami. It just goes to show how much she loves her twin sister as much as vice versa. The problem got so intense; it caused changes in her personality. What Konata and Miyuki just saw was a different kind of Tsukasa—determined, hardheaded, courageous, and not to mention scary even. That other side of hers lay dormant throughout her lifetime. The recent report of a schoolmate being electrocuted triggered its release. Imagine the power of the mass media to shape one's opinion…its power is definitely undeniable. At first she cried a river then the next thing her friends knew, she was not the Tsukasa they knew so much. If anything were to happen to her, they would feel responsible for letting her go in the subtle drizzle which could turn nasty again anytime.

Both of them could do nothing but hope that she would return safe and sound.

"Oh no, I'm too late!" A distressed Inori hurried down the stairs and talked to the two. "She's going to get herself ill in the rain."

"What made her act that way?" Konata stressfully asked.

"I have no idea. She couldn't sleep so I sung a lullaby to calm her nerves. All of a sudden, she grabbed her raingear in the closet and went downstairs like an angry girl. By the looks of things, she's going to attempt to look for Kagami."

"Hmm…this is pretty disturbing."

"I know! What will I tell mom and dad?"

"No, I'm not thinking about Tsukasa's actions. This is more about Kagami."

"W-What do you mean?"

"Lately she has been acting weird. Afterwards, these problems pop up like daisies."

"What are you trying to imply?"

"Hmm…no, it can't be…"

"What is it?"

"Kagamin may be the source of all this."

A quick flash of lightning followed by a shuddering sound of thunder happened. Miyuki couldn't speak not because of the sudden flash and shudder but by what Konata had concluded.

What she said might be correct. As stated before, if she hadn't gone back to school to see if Hajime was still there, this mess wouldn't happen entirely. If she had said everything about her existing love relation with the upperclassman, friends could provide various effective solutions. Hence, it was a bad move from the start…a bad move that would leave her regretting the rest of her life.

To say "if Hajime didn't confess to Kagami about his feelings and emotions, none of these problems would've existed in the first place" is in its entirety wrong. He had said what he wanted to say all this time. It wasn't intended to let her down; at the same time it wasn't also intended to boost her morale. It was solely intended to express what he had been hiding because it isn't good to keep something in secrecy (except close pals' secrets) especially when the door of opportunity is wide open. Kagami is also not to be blamed. She was confused because of the sudden outbreak of Hajime's words. It's natural for someone to be confused; even the wisest of the best and the best of the wisest. So who or what is to blame? What or who is the culprit in creating these series of unfortunate events that eventually led to morphing egos and intensifying conflicts? Most of all, is there really to blame?

Why do problems exist? Is it because of man's growing desire for the fundamentals? Is it because of false accusations made by warring delegates? Is it because of prioritization? It's ambiguous to answer any one of these questions. It has already assimilated to human life. In the case of romance, did love itself pave the way for problems to arise? Love is supposed to bond people together; "stick like glue" in leman's terms. But why did it backfire on Kagami and Hajime? Instead of love bringing them together, the result is the polar opposite. It even eluded her and eventually hurt herself in her confusion. Not only that; people outside the bounds of their romantic love are constantly being affected like in the case of the ego-altered Tsukasa.

Kagami felt like not saying "no" to the meeting at Sunday. She had learned her lesson the hard way. She was assisted by her two classmate buddies despite her inability to walk properly. As soon as they've reached the place where leather shoes were left, they faced another problem. Kuroi-sensei couldn't get the door to open.

"Shoot! I forgot that we're locked up." She grumbled. "Apparently, somebody didn't get the message that we're still here."

"Aw man, I'm really going to miss my favorite show!" Misao complained, kicking the closed door that almost shattered it.

"Watch it, Kusakabe! You'll pay for that!"

"Ah, sorry sensei…its just life is so not fair!"

"(You're not the only one who thinks like that.)"

Indeed, life is not fair…at least sometimes. On the other hand, life is very fair.

"I see something!" Ayano cried out as she saw a silhouette coming near them. "Or someone…"

"Kagami!" The silhouette shouted from afar but it was no use because the glass door was soundproof.

"What shall we do? We're locked down for the night." Ayano said.

"I'm going to try picking the lock with my hairpin. It should buckle open." A dumbfounded Kuroi-sensei responded.

"Um sensei, I know I'm not in a position to say this but—"

"—that only happens in espionage movies? Well stand aside little missy! This teacher's going to prove you wrong!"

Kuroi-sensei slowly inserted the hairpin inside the hole. Movie producers make this look easier in the big screen. But it isn't easy in real life. Ayano, although her teacher was the one speaking determinably, doubted such a measure. After a few minutes of lock picking, the lock clicked open and the teacher slid the door aside.

"I told you so." She said.

At the same time, it was Kagami's father to the rescue.

"Kagami, I'm glad that you're okay!" He breathed easily. "Come on, your mother and your friends are worried sick."

The drizzle still held the potential of becoming a rainstorm again. It was only a matter of time before the clouds launch a second assault with its faithful allies: lightning and thunder. It had been several hours since the disaster but together they were able to make it through. Now all that was left was to return to their respective homes before the rainstorm assault. Kagami was able to walk again after hours of temporary paralysis brought forth by lightning. She was one of the lucky few; unlike most of the victims who not only were given a chance to walk but also never got to see the light of day. Her father gave her his raincoat to shelter from the cold winds and drizzle. All of them were going to make it home safe and sound.

Little did they know…that someone was still out there…with the same primary objective.

In the case of little Tsukasa, a simple sound of an angry sky was enough to render her motionless. With no form of shelter nearby, she tucked herself against the wall under her umbrella. Despite her determination to rescue her elder twin from certain danger, the weather was just too much for her. To act like that is to prove something wrong. The sound of dripping rain touched her parasol. But under it a form of water was also dripping—tears. Tears came out flowing from her eyes and along her sweet rosy cheeks. At first she was very determined to bring her sister back safe and sound. She even reprimanded Konata and Miyuki for not believing in her declaration. Halfway across the road to school, she was shaky and cold despite her raingear. In the end, she was too cold to move on and warmed herself by tucking against a wall under her parasol. It was game over and she had lost the battle.

But not the war…

Kagami spotted Tsukasa all cold and scared of the continuous strikes of lightning. She offered her helping hand.

"Come on, Tsukasa, let's go home."

"Onee-san…"

"You proved yourself out here. I'm proud of you."

The feeling between twin sisters was sentimental. This kind of feeling was indestructible to the elements and immortal to those with hearts of gold. It was only in this that; close family ties still existed amidst problems the family was facing. Kagami showed great perseverance and the same could be said about Tsukasa. Despite differences, superiorities, and inferiorities they shared one mind in two ways: hold on until help arrives and get there no matter what. The latter may not have been proven however, it has been proven that it's possible even under the worst case scenario. They're worthy of being called twins despite their differences.

All of them went back to their respective homes. The father along with his two wonderful twins was welcomed with great esteem. Konata and Miyuki could now breathe easy. It was then that the night sky sent a fresh wave of lightning storms and rain showers as heavy as a few hours ago. Miyuki had something to say to one of tonight's two heroes: Tsukasa.

"I just want to apologize for not believing in you." Miyuki said. "I should've known you better."

"No I should be the one who should be saying sorry." Tsukasa replied. "I never made it to school because I was too afraid of the lightning."

"We're all very proud of you, Tsukasa-san. You came through even though you failed in your mission."

"Thank you, Yuki-chan…I feel much better now."

Konata, however, wasn't satisfied with only Kagami's return at all. Even if she was safe and sound, Konata had several questions waiting to be answered by the source of all these blunders.

"Is there something that you want to tell us, Kagamin?"

Everybody looked at Kagami. It was no use hiding it now.

"Actually, I have…I'm sorry for keeping this a secret."

"We're your friends. We share and keep."

"I didn't have the guts to unveil it to you all. I'm sorry for causing too much trouble."

"Ho, ho, ho; you're already a troublemaker from the start, Kagamin." Konata grinned humorously.

"You don't even care about anything at all, do you?!"

The rest of them laughed the night away with a big celebration—a celebration not only to celebrate heroism but also to celebrate the safe return of the lost. Kagami told everyone about Hajime Takashi and his feelings towards her. It really caught the attention of the audience. Miyuki also had something to confess; that Hajime is her cousin. It also caught the attention more than the Kagami's revelation.

"So you're scheduled to meet at Tokyo Tower on Sunday, am I right?" Miyuki asked.

"That's the place and time." Kagami answered.

"So when he was talking about his destiny found at school, he was talking about you."

"Destiny…?"

"If that's the case Kagami-san, then we're with you all the way!"

Kagami faced everybody with great joy and happiness. Once a gloomy ego dominated her heart but now that ego has been changed to something better than sorrow.

"Kagamin triggering a flag…?" Konata couldn't believe every word that passed along her two ears. "This I got to see."

"Onee-san, I'll support you in anyway I can. I can bake cookies for you to give to him." Tsukasa said.

"As long as you keep up your studies, you have our blessings." The father spoke formally.

From the start, it was really a big mistake to keep such a pressing issue away from the public audience. This gave her new hope—a new clean slate to write on the continuity of her life and a new hope for the betterment of everyone. At first she was all alone, trying to fight the battle herself—a losing battle right from the beginning. When she revealed her problem to everybody else, she gained a number of allies to fight for her cause. Indeed, the truth will set her free. It freed her from the shackles of loneliness and agony; and she was ready to start all over again this time with all the help that she could get her hands on.

"Okay that's settled. Let Operation: Kagami's Flag commence!" Konata shouted with overflowing enthusiasm.

"You're overdoing it, Konata!" Kagami exclaimed.

END OF ACT I

TO BE CONTINUED


	7. Humidity

_Chapter 7: Humidity_

Saturday morning was rainy but there were none of those lightning storms and constant booming of thunder unlike last night. The once dark clouds were tinted white with some gray remaining. Everything was obviously drenched in precipitate especially the lush grass and blossoming flowers. Almost nothing escaped what it seemed to be Mother Nature's full force. Leaves were scattered all over the suburban streets and sweeping them under more rain was a complete drag. Not only leaves but there were branches as well that could hurt somebody with its sharp tips. One would be too intimidated to go anywhere with the mess made by last night's full-scale assault. The city government recently announced the suspension of classes in pre-school to high school levels because of some roads being inaccessible to motorists and the extent of the lightning storm that short-circuited the monorail's systems. People have already thought of sitting this Saturday out because of the imminent danger of taking a stroll outside. Despite the bad news, there was also good news: the typhoon bringing destructive forces by wind has died down an hour after the said rescue mission. It seemed that today would be the start of a new stage in life.

Everybody involved took this free time to prepare for Kagami's big day in 24 hours or tomorrow in simple terms. Tsukasa began making cookies as a gift for her twin sister to give to her admirer. The cookies needed to be baked perfectly to give out that sentimental value; plus an added dash of love to make it really look like a Valentine's present (which was considerably still far away). It couldn't take Kagami a few minutes to pick out what to wear on her big day tomorrow. But it's better to be safe than sorry. As early as now, she's trying out clothing combinations. She wasn't trying to attract men but she was trying to look her best. Who would be dumb enough to look like someone who climbed the highest mountains, swam the deepest seas, and fought the fiercest creatures just to get to the venue on time? After all, a well-dressed girl goes a long way. The rest of those involved in this large-scale operation (as Konata defined it as Operation: Kagami's Flag) provided moral support. Everybody was very excited for this. It was the first time in Konata, Miyuki, and Tsukasa's lives that one of their best friends has fallen deeply and madly in love.

Maybe too excited…

"Aren't we going a little too overboard?" Kagami worryingly asked Konata on the phone. "I'm only going to meet him and close the deal between us. It's not like a date or something."

"That's where you're wrong, Kagamin. Even the slightest meetings can turn into really big things. Trust us on this."

"Well, I've never seen Tsukasa so enthusiastic even at baking cookies."

"It's a historical event, Kagamin. Admit it that you're in love."

"Who said anything about falling in love? I'm only going to meet him and settle some things right, period."

"Ho, ho, ho, like what I said: even the slightest meetings can turn into really big things. Better be safe than ending up regretting later."

"Fine, fine, I believe in you."

Meanwhile in the depths of the Tokyo Metropolis, Miyuki was creating preparations of her own. She was planning on something that wasn't originally on the agenda but figured to be pretty romantic in the case of Kagami and Hajime. Together with her mother and a little bit of their wealth, they picked out the best china, silverware, and glassware for this occasion. In other words, they were planning on a formal candlelight dinner for two. To Kagami, that is way too overboard. A simple meeting of minds had already grown into a date. But she kept her word that she would support Kagami all the way for better or for worse. She wanted tomorrow to be worth remembering not just to her but to everyone close to Kagami as well.

The only ones that were yet to be informed about all of this were Ayano, Misao, and Kuroi-sensei. They had a lot of free time on their hands thanks to the suspension of classes. The first to be informed was Kuroi-sensei through the power of the chat room.

"Ah, sensei is online." Konata said; creating a new chat room for the two of them.

_For the purposes of the chat log, the following will be written in script/dialogue form:_

**konakona: **Good morning sensei!

**nanakon: **Ah Izumi, you won't believe what happened last night.

**konakona: **You mean somebody from our school was struck by lightning and brought to the hospital?

**nanakon: **You mean Hiiragi was on the news?

**nanakon: **But she wasn't hospitalized. I stayed with Kusakabe and Minegishi at school last night.

**konakona: **Kagamin was struck by lightning?

**nanakon: **Yeah, and it was a hard one too. Luckily we pulled her out of the rain before the second one.

**konakona: **Wait, I'm confused. Kagamin was struck by lightning.

**konakona: **But she wasn't confined in the hospital.

**konakona: **The news said someone from our school was hit on the way home.

**nanakon: **And you completely thought it was Hiiragi.

**konakona: **Well, that's what we assumed when she didn't come home on time.

**nanakon: **Oh well, what's done is done. Want to level up?

**konakona: **You're on, sensei!

**nanakon: **That's great! Make sure you do your homework first.

"Sensei, please don't talk about real life in the virtual world." Konata said after a few seconds of utter silence.

Time moves fast when everybody is busy. It was already noon and much of the preparations were complete. The cookies were left to cool in a rack before the first batch was served for a taste test. Tsukasa felt proud of her accomplishment. They were chocolate chip cookies shaped in hearts. She was done on her part. Kagami on the other hand, still hasn't picked what to wear for tomorrow. If today were Sunday, she would be probably late for their date. She slaved inside her room for hours, trying different combination colors. However, Hajime was the type of guy who would think "regardless of what you wear, you're still the apple of my eye" idea. So why was she trying hard to come up with the perfect attire? Somehow, she wanted to be presentable or appropriate and at the same time her elegance illuminating—an easy description which was very hard to execute. After slaving inside her room for a few more minutes, she paused for a break. Usually she wouldn't think of what to wear but this was a big event for her. She would be answering the one-million dollar question with a simple yes or no as an answer that would determine the next set of events.

Speaking of which, she was so preoccupied with the event itself, she hadn't begun to think about whether she would accept him into her love life or not. Like choosing what to wear for such an important event, it wasn't easy. She has to understand the advantages and consequences of whatever decision she will make. Her friends could help but only her heart would make the ultimate decision.

"Kagami, Miyuki-chan's on the phone!" Her mother called.

Kagami hurried downstairs and responded to the call.

"Hello?"

"Kagami-san, there's somebody who wants to talk to you." Miyuki handed over the headset to her cousin.

"Hello, Kagami-san…"

"Hajime-senpai…!"

"Please, call me Takashi. I really don't mind if bad people would call me names."

"What made you call here?"

"I was wondering if you could come to Tokyo Tower tomorrow."

"Yes, I will be going."

"That's great! Meet me here in front of Miyuki's house then we'll go together."

"I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

"And oh yeah, one more thing before I hang up."

"What is it?"

"I also heard from Miyuki that you were struck by lightning when you came to the rooftop. It was my fault for calling you there. I'm sorry."

"Actually, I should be the one who's supposed to be apologizing. I was very naïve to change my mind and meet you at the rooftop."

"Don't worry, the entire tower is weatherproof. We're safe there."

"Okay then. I have to go. I'll get in trouble if I'm in the phone for too long."

"I understand. I won't take long."

After the call, a certain kind of feeling overwhelmed her. For her it was too early to feel that kind of feeling. It was displaced amongst all the others. It felt so overwhelming; she immediately hurried to her room and took several deep breaths to calm down. Today wasn't the time to experience that overwhelming feeling. In fact, the feeling would depend solely on her decision tomorrow when she would confront her admirer.

"Onee-san, the cookies are ready!" Tsukasa knocked on her door thrice.

"I'll be right down in a jiffy."

The choosing of the proper attire has to wait. Right now, the gift comes first—the freshly-baked cookies. It has been several minutes since they were drawn out from the oven. They should be cooled enough by now. The family members were all gathered on the table; awaiting for the twins. Kagami wasn't at the kitchen yet but she could smell the emanating aroma of the cookies. Judging from the aroma, she could tell that Tsukasa did a pretty good job.

"What a heavenly smell…" Kagami commended her twin sister for a good job.

"The recipe's from a new cookbook so…I don't know if I did it right." Tsukasa fearfully replied.

"Don't worry; whether it tastes bad or good, at least you tried."

"Thanks for understanding, onee-san."

"Don't mention it. That's what egg twins are for."

Konata completely forgot to tell Kuroi-sensei about Kagami's upcoming date (the term was exaggerated because it was only a meeting of minds to settle restless issues). But she figured out that it was better to surprise her. As their respective characters were harvesting for some experience in a forest terrain, Kuroi-sensei asked Konata a favor through the chat room.

**nanakon: **Izumi, can you lend me some money? Say about 100,000 or so.

**konakona: **What for, sensei?

**nanakon: **There's this armor I really like back at town but I'm 100,000 short.

**konakona: **Sorry sensei, I already spent mine on potions.

**nanakon: **It's okay

**nanakon: **But do you really need a lot of potions? You got like gargantuan HP

**konakona: **I was planning on leveling up at the dungeons where super monsters are worth of thousands of experience points.

**nanakon: **That's a bit too harsh. You already have beaten me several times.

**konakona: **The same with ten more players hehe…

**nanakon: **Ah, I'm supposed to meet someone right now.

**nanakon: **g2g

**konakona: **Okay then sensei.

**nanakon: **Oh yeah, if you're going to fight the boss there, hit and run got it?

**konakona: **As clear as crystal, sensei

**Your friend nanakon has logged out**

As she turned off her computer, a certain somebody knocked on the door. It wasn't whom she expected to be meeting today. Her visitor had golden eyes and blue short hair with a bouquet of flowers on his right hand and a heart-shaped box of éclairs on his left hand. He wore a brown jacket and looked very presentable even though he forgot to shave.

"It's been several months since. But now I have decided." He said.

"Um…come in for a moment, Souijiro." Kuroi-sensei invited him inside.

TO BE CONTINUED


	8. Ripple

_Chapter 8: Ripple_

_Before reading, yuri content is __present__ in this chapter; not for the weak-willed. _

Kagami felt like reading a light novel for a change of pace. Somehow, the light novel might serve as an inspiration or a source of ideas for her to choose what to wear for tomorrow. Aside from combining two clothes together to create a perfect match, she had nothing left to do. There weren't much homework to do in the past few weeks. Even if there were, she already had done it from top to bottom. She also studied yesterday's lectures and lessons so she would not fall victim of the dreaded pop quiz where the teachers always seemed to have the upper hand, trapping its victims in an endless void of certain failure and contempt. There was only half-a-day left before the big day tomorrow. What has her worried was not what to wear but what to answer in the million-dollar question. Either way, the advantages and consequences would inflict considerable changes in her life. It's like standing between two roads: one of them leading to a dead end. With no signpost nearby or map in hand, she has to rely on her instincts to figure out the correct path—the path dictated by her heart. It is to be pondered, however, that instincts are not very accurate in solving problems. Only with the right knowledge can instincts be considered valid. She had to think of this very seriously otherwise she might shamefully take the wrong road.

The effect would be like a ripple in the water. It starts off at a certain point and expands as time goes along. Pain would start from the heart and eventually spread throughout the body, affecting not only body systems and functions but as well as the will to live which could lead to suicide. That still depended on the person though. It was even too late to turn back now; not after what her close friends had already accomplished during the past twelve hours. Retreating now would be a waste for everything she had worked hard and hoped for. In this purpose driven life, there will come a time when the inevitable has to be faced. There is always a time when a person's will is put to the test. Tomorrow, Kagami will be facing her toughest opponent: herself.

Meanwhile at Kuroi-sensei's place, her visitor turned out to be Konata's dad. Judging by what he was holding a while ago, his intentions were crystal clear.

"I've thought about this for months." He said. "But now I've made up my mind."

"You sure you want to go through with this?" Kuroi-sensei solemnly asked him.

"It just feels incomplete without Kanata by my side. Plus I can't keep this on forever; taking care of Konata all by myself."

"Did you get her consent about this?"

"Well…"

_"Konata, I'm thinking about remarrying. I know you're against it but deep down Kanata will always be your mother."_

"She agreed somehow. She even asked me what her new mother will be like." He explained.

"That's Izumi for you; a positivist. I'm going to ask you once more. Are you sure that you want to go through with this?"

"Yes, I want to. I simply can't support the welfare of my daughter as a man on a solo mission."

"I appreciate your desire but how will she react if I become her new mother?"

"Well…"

_"What will my new mother be like?"_

"She was very enthusiastic to know such a thing." Souijiro explained further.

"I've been thinking about it as well. I've never been as lucky as you in love. I thought that this could be the time for my wish to come true."

"You'll have to excuse Konata. She's pretty eccentric considering a very tiny body."

"So when will we do this?"

"First thing in the morning…I want to surprise her."

"I see…anytime you change your mind, you can just tell me."

Nobody had expected this; for Kuroi-sensei to agree to Souijiro's proposal, for Souijiro to fall in love with Kuroi-sensei, and for both of them to have the same outlook about being single in their lives. The existing difference between them is Kuroi-sensei being single to begin with and Souijiro being single after losing Kanata in a struggle for survival. He thought that he could take on life all alone. He knew that Konata was already a big girl, thus she could take care of herself. But his insecurities told him to remarry someone not only for his only daughter's sake but for his happiness as well. He thought that if Kanata hadn't died, he would be very happy not as a man but as a father of the only daughter he and his wife had. Both of them swore everlasting happiness as husband and wife. They swore that they would never leave one's side unprotected from threats and criticisms. Eventually, Kanata succumbed to an illness and died smiling; however she still continued to watch her beloved husband and daughter from the distant heavens—away from physical contact but not from spiritual guidance.

Meanwhile, Konata arrives at the Hiiragi home for a visit despite of the looming bad weather. She could've stayed and played games for three days straight. Instead, she put her friends' welfare on top of her priorities list. She wanted to check for herself how Kagami was doing in her preparation for tomorrow morning.

"Hey Kagamin, how're you doing?" Konata greeted at the doorstep.

"You're pretty energetic; coming here despite the bad weather." Kagami said.

"Like what Tsukasa said last night: even if it rains fireballs."

"Huh?"

"Never mind…how are the preparations coming along?"

"Still no luck at the clothing category…"

"Ho, ho, ho; take note Kagamin, clothes play an important role in triggering a flag."

"Hey, who says anything about triggering a flag?"

"Isn't that what dates are all about, Kagamin?"

"It's not a date! I'm just going to discuss some things with him."

"Yeah, like family planning—"

"Shut up!"

Kagami led Konata into her room where clothes were scattered throughout her bed. Some of them were paired up but the results were unsatisfactory for her. The kind of clothing was also to be considered. Obviously, she wouldn't wear a formal dress for a casual occasion and vice versa. It doesn't need to be flashy; just appropriate for the event without sacrificing the skin-deep and deep-down beauty. What is the proper attire that isn't too flashy but doesn't compromise the looks? It was getting more and more repetitive in her mind the more she thought about it.

"Sorry for the mess." Kagami apologized. "It's too hard to decide."

"Don't worry…" Konata replied sarcastically. "It's usual for you to have a messy room anyway."

"I wonder…are you trying to make a scene here?"

Kagami decided to choose randomly even if she couldn't be as flashy as an attractive girl out on a date. Konata helped her clean up the mess in her room. When every piece of apparel was back in the closet, they were left alone with a clean room.

"By the way, it's odd that you didn't choose to play your games today." Kagami said.

"My friends online have work and Kuroi-sensei's supposed to be meeting somebody today so I'm all alone boo hoo." Konata replied.

"Wait, not all are out today. What about the young ones who're playing your online game?"

"They're beginners and they suck big time. I don't want to play with them."

"What are you talking about? They need the experts' help."

"They can be annoying sometimes. Besides, it's not worth playing if you can't do it by yourself."

"You're pretty extreme for a hardcore gamer. At least show some pity on them."

"Well, I discard old and worthless items. Then they'll salvage what I've thrown away. After all, one man's trash is another man's treasure."

"(Konata, that's pretty absurd of you)."

All of a sudden, Konata headed for the remote controlling the room's lights just on top of the study desk.

"Konata, what are you going to do with that?" Kagami curiously asked.

"Good question, Kagamin." Konata pressed the off button in the remote. The entire room was now enveloped in complete darkness.

"Ah! Konata—"

Before Kagami could even speak, Konata pinned her down right on top of the bed. Her hands were completely locked down by Konata's hands; so were her feet—locked down by Konata's own feet. It happened too quickly and Kagami didn't have enough time to react to what was seemed to be something beyond the ordinary.

"Konata, what do you think are you doing?!" Kagami struggled.

"Giving you one important lesson…" Konata's expression drastically changed from a happy-go-lucky girl to a serious personality.

"What are you talking about? What's gotten into you? Konata!"

"Listen to me; you're going out with a boy this time. Don't take any chances. Like I said: even the slightest meetings can turn into really big things…"

"But he's a sincere man! He wouldn't do such a thing!"

"What if he does?"

Kagami felt the pain spread like a ripple throughout her body. Konata tightened her grip to prevent her from moving; especially in her arms. Kagami had no idea what has gotten into her friend. At first she was humorously conversing with her. In fact, Konata would do no such thing; and what did her friend meant by one important lesson?

"If you let your guard down, you'll be one of the unlucky stars. Be aware of the strange things happening around you."

"K-Konata…ah…!" Kagami felt a stinging pain all over her.

"You're the first one among the four of us to actually go on a date. Make the day last and don't engage in funny stuff."

"Konata, it hurts!"

"It hurts, right? That's only a fraction of a boy's strength in pinning you down. Unless you don't want your life to fall apart, be alert."

"Don't you think I know that?!"

"This is one important lesson that you should never forget in the future. You'll probably thank me after this."

"Can't you just explain it elaborately?"

"Actions speak louder than words, Kagamin."

Unconditionally, Konata lets go of Kagami but she still lay frozen in bed.

"Well Kagamin, I'm off. Have fun tomorrow at Tokyo Tower." Konata smiled and went out of her room. Along the way, she met up with Tsukasa who just finished taking a hot bath. "Ah Tsukasa, don't go inside Kagami's room for a moment. She's tired from all that choosing of clothes."

"Well okay." Tsukasa agreed without being informed of the real reason.

TO BE CONTINUED

**Author's Note: **I solemnly apologize for any mistake concerning this chapter especially the yuri part. I don't really have an exact thought of a yuri pairing. It's my first time making something like this.


	9. Thunder

_Chapter 9: Thunder_

Why did Konata do such a thing? Wasn't it easier to explain by words? Was it really necessary to show such an example? What was she trying to imply?

Kagami lay motionless at bed for half-an-hour, thinking about what her friend had said during the unexpected assault. It was unusual of Konata to pin her down to demonstrate one important lesson; especially when it involved physical assault. Apparently, it was on every news program in every television set around the country. A lot of school girls have fallen victim to boys whose excessive exploitations caused them to execute drastic measures. The number of cases was growing significantly. No girl is always safe even from the nicest among the best and the best among the nicest. Konata was the only person to figure out this kind of disadvantage when going out with a boy; especially one who was almost forgotten by time. Upon closer inspection, it can be said that Kagami has Konata to thank for after all despite her sudden actions. Still, these unprecedented occurrences still shook her resolve although it wasn't meant to break her morale and withdraw at the last moment possible. Somehow, it served as an early warning signal—a lesson that even small things can turn big time.

Turning off the lights of a closed room was one thing. But pinning somebody down against something hard or soft was another. Konata's forceful attack only comprised a fraction of the total strength when Kagami was facing a boy with the both of them all alone in her room and the lights off. She had recently met the guy (their childhood friendship was forgotten) so she didn't know what to expect from him. However, his method of conversation told her that he was a formal person and would never resort to physical abuse. No matter how a person acts, his/her intentions are still of the utmost importance in knowing a person from the inside out. Who knows? The person may be a wolf in sheep's clothing. The formal talk may be no more but a silly act to grab her attention. The date itself may be nothing more than an entrapment operation as a prerequisite for the deed of a heinous crime. She put those things into consideration but she didn't want to presume that he was a bad person. Nevertheless, Kagami is putting herself on the verge of two things: candor and deception. Hajime's true intentions will pave the way for his true colors to show up. Only then judgment can be done.

Evening had fallen. A steady and moderate rain showered across the neighborhood. There was no presence of lightning but thunder was there to stay and terrify the phobic ones. It has been a full week since the torrential rain started. Tonight's weather condition may well signify a break in the bad weather. For now, everybody in the family was enjoying a nice cup of hot tea and a bowl of biscuits in front of the evening news. Like the past few days, it was another report on sexual abuse.

_Last night, a senior high school girl was forcibly__ made to enter a car owned by two men of the same year. They brought her to their condominium unit and reported to have been physically assaulted by the two men. The victim was able to escape before the men could have their chance of killing her to erase any witnesses. The victim hurriedly reported the incident to the police which conducted a search for the suspects. Because of the intensity of the crime and the narration made by the victim, a warrant of arrest was issued against the two men whom the victim identified as Saburo Miyazaki and Jirou Minami, two of her classmates at school. As of now, the said convicts are still at large. The police advised the __public to say "no" to strangers and to suspicious-looking people. The school in which the convicts go to refused to give any opinions concerning the pending case against the two men. _

"(This must be what Konata is trying to say to me.)" Kagami said to herself. "(I know he won't do such a gruesome thing. He's very kind and sincere.)"

She could have it that way, consistent to her interest.

Konata and her dad had a one-on-one conversation as soon as Konata arrived from Kagami's house several minutes afterwards.

"Konata, I finally did it." He said as if he triumphed over life.

"Did what?"

"You have a new mother."

"Really…? What does she look like?"

"You'll find out first thing in the morning. I don't want to spoil the fun."

She was about to have the surprise of her life since obtaining an ultra rare item in an online RPG game. In fact, it will be more surprising than some ultra rare item.

Hours of arranging the perfect dinner setting exhausted both mother and daughter. Miyuki could hardly get up after standing up the entire day and carefully handling fragile items that were worth a year's allowance. One time, she accidentally dropped a glass wine but luckily her cousin was there to catch the falling object at the exact moment. The table setting was unlike anything in the soap operas. The cloth is embroidered linen with fancy designs and jewels attached to them. The table setting consists of a soup plate above the dinner plate, the spoon and fork placed in between the plates, a wine glass parallel to the spoon, and a napkin parallel to the plates. It wasn't the official formal table setting but to both mother and daughter; it looked like a formal one. Besides, they didn't need all kinds of utensils for such an event. The planned dinner was already exaggerated enough for Kagami in the event that she knew about it. Screwing up would mean hundreds of dollars down the drain and all the sweat they worked up just to get this done.

"Whew! All done…" Hajime put up a sweat. "Handling all those china made my hands all shaky."

"Thank you for helping us out." Miyuki thanked him.

"No problem…besides, your plan was a good one. She'll definitely gasp when I show her this."

"I hope this doesn't affect our friendship in anyway."

"Don't worry; it definitely won't. Besides, it's only for one ordinary day."

If there was one more thing that Miyuki feared aside from going to the dentist for teeth-tweaking was the bond of their camaraderie. When Kagami was first introduced to Hajime, she didn't know how to react because it was too sudden. She was deeply affected by this psychologically. The lightning incident proved such assertion. Miyuki wondered if Kagami would face the same fate in the future and eventually lead to their friendship dissolving. Her cousin is a nice guy and he won't do anything to hurt anyone. Nevertheless, she wasn't a psychic that could tell the future. She waited anxiously for tomorrow where everything would be put to rest and in place. That was the master plan. The secondary plan was to have fun. Hajime had arranged his schedule for tomorrow's outing. It was found out that he wasn't only planning to go to Tokyo Tower. He also planned to visit the temples in Asakusa, the digital district of Akihabara, and more. He had the outing all perfectly planned. It was only a matter of the ability to go to these places (not to mention the overall budget) and more importantly, the measure of Kagami's happiness that would determine the success or failure of the outing.

It was already late at night. Everybody had tucked in their beds and slept the night away. It was raining again with the occasional roaring of the sky. Kagami is currently suffering from insomnia. She still couldn't sleep after a glass of warm milk and a lullaby. It's like constant ringing rocked her head. If she doesn't sleep early, she may wake up late for her big day. Either gender doesn't like being made to wait by the opposite sex. It wasn't the sound of the scary thunder that kept her wide awake. What if tomorrow turned bad? What if tomorrow turned against her? Stuff like her good clothes being stained by muddy water, her wallet being stolen by some runaway crook, or who could even forget the threat of a weight increase because of the food she would be eating in merry Tokyo? Material things weren't her primary concern (she has lots of clothes, she could buy another wallet with her piggy bank, and she could work out at her free time). She hoped that tomorrow would turn out alright.

Reading a random light novel from the shelf was her way of knocking herself out cold. She flipped a page open and read the wordy book line after line, sentence after sentence, word after word, as long as she could feel her eyes constantly closing. The clock's hands pointed at ten and one, short and long respectively. The rain continued to fall down from the high sky. The crash of thunder constantly shook the entire house as powerful as an intensity 3 earthquake. When her eyes have gotten heavy, she turned off the lamp and straight to bed she went. At least now she can sleep soundly for what lies ahead tomorrow in the purpose-driven life.

The entire household was pitch-black. The darkness provided less visibility of the objects. Even those who want a midnight drink or snack to satisfy a grumbling customer couldn't find the correct switch for the right bulb. At this state, someone like Tsukasa would be afraid to even take a step into the blackness. It was the perfect set for a thriller movie. Unexpectedly, a strong gust of wind burst a window open, letting the precipitate in the house. The windows flipped against the wall as cold wind rushed throughout the kitchen. The annoying noise of the flapping windows disturbed Kagami's sleep. She was rudely interrupted by the elements. Before she gets annoyed, she went downstairs to the kitchen while turning on a few lights along the way to light her way to the desired destination. When she arrived at the flapping window, she spotted the problem. The pin wasn't locked in place. She closed the window and locked the pin in place. The disturbance was no more.

"I hate it when my sleep is disturbed by some annoying, noisy window." Kagami silently complained as she made her way back upstairs, turning the lights off along her way.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a chair being dragged along the floor. Upon turning around, one of the chairs on the table was displaced. It wasn't displaced when she got there a while ago. Things were beginning to get creepier from this point on.

"H-Hello…? Who's there?" Kagami said, trembling in fear. "Tsukasa…? Matsuri onee-san…? Mother…?"

The sky roared as the sound of footsteps was heard getting louder and louder as if something invisible to the naked eye was approaching her. Frightened, she ran upstairs hoping to outrun that "something". Whatever it was, Kagami didn't stick around to find out. When she finally reached her sanctuary (her room), she quickly locked the door and even blocked it with the chair in the desk. As another crash of thunder passed by, she heard a ghostly voice coming from somewhere inside her room. It was very frightening.

"Please spare me, whoever you are! I didn't do anything wrong! It's not what you think it is!" She pleaded for mercy.

"Don't worry, little one. I am not here to haunt you."

"Huh?"

In one blink of an eye, a girl in a white dress with blue hair and green eyes appeared on top of her bed. The white dress made her shining like a bright light—an angel that descended from the heavens to fulfill a particular mission.

"Wait a minute, aren't you…Konata's mother?" Kagami aroused some questions.

"You're wondering why I am here." The ghost said; turned out to be the late Izumi Kanata.

"Obviously…will Konata do something that can hurt her; that's why you're here to warn me about it?"

"Actually, this is all about you Kagami-chan."

"Me…?"

"I too faced a lot of difficulties in the past before I met Sou-kun. Sometimes you have to learn to trust people for the better."

"But I trust him. He's a very sincere and honest man. I know he wouldn't do such a heinous crime."

"I know you trust him, dear. I respect your faith. But you must know that temptation is a very powerful being. You just have to be careful while trusting other people."

"I know I shouldn't be asking this but why are you giving me advice?"

"A friend of Konata's is also a friend of mine."

Shortly after a blink of an eye, Kanata disappeared into thin air; leaving no traces of her behind. Kagami, still feeling uneasy, closed the open windows that were forced opened by the gust of wind and went to bed five before eleven. It's pretty late but with the last piece of advice from the most inconspicuous person, the die is cast.

For the past few days, she had been receiving tremendous amounts of help and advice from her friends and family. They have done their part in preparing Kagami for the inevitable. Tomorrow, only she can settle things once and for all.

END OF ACT II

TO BE CONTINUED


	10. Cats

_Chapter 10A: Cats_

The past few days have been days of preparation and training. Those three days seemed to pass like months—from the day Hajime Takashi confessed his feelings toward Hiiragi Kagami up to the day where both boy and girl would settle things once and for all. She was given a period of three days to decide on something that could make or break her destiny. During these three days, she kept this issue to herself to avoid involvement of her friends. This course of action led her to a great disaster that almost cost her life in the form of a bolt of lightning; all because of a change of heart. A chain of unfortunate events was then formed that affected those very close to her. Through the report of a school girl being struck by lightning, Tsukasa let out various reactions: sadness and later on determination. Her father also let out a stream of passionate emotions and never heeded the word of his beloved wife. Konata and Miyuki, failed to stop Tsukasa from doing something that spelled death, couldn't do anything at all but hope that the twins would return in one piece. The father's expedition turned out to be very successful; the opposite could be said for Tsukasa. But the bond of sisterhood never faded away from them—it was still in their grasp. Despite her failure, everybody was still proud of her for her display of courage and bravery in the midst of a grave disaster and in a time of disorientation. From that point on, Kagami swore to her friends and family that she wouldn't be keeping any more secrets especially those that required their help. Despite her irrational actions in the past few days, they all helped with the preparations for the occasion. While most of her friends and family provided moral support, a chosen few like Tsukasa prepared the gift and the mother-daughter Takara pair arranged a special romantic dinner. Konata provided the most bizarre lesson of all by a demonstration of force—implying that even the nicest of guys could turn from better to worse. The late Izumi Kanata appeared in a ghostly manner as a continuation to Konata's bizarre lesson—telling her that temptation is a strong being and can strike anywhere anytime. In other words, her admirer may be tempted into doing a heinous crime such as sexual abuse. These past few days have trained Kagami to face the inevitable. On Sunday, she will take the battle…to the metropolis.

There was a break in the weather upon the break of dawn. The heavy gray clouds that brought rain to the vicinity for the past few days broke up in clusters. The bright sun shone down during that morning. Indeed one would be overjoyed by the unexpected change in weather. The chilly wind remained but at least the people could now get a taste of natural warmth. Sunshine went in every window in every household or building around town. It's Mother Nature's way of telling the sleepyheads that it's time to rise and shine. Small birds flew around tree to tree and chirped a morning medley. The drops of precipitate that tagged along with the leaves split white light in seven rainbow colors. The once grayish cotton candy in the sky, thanks to sunlight, became pure white; as pure as the light of day. Sunday morning was a great day to start the week with the sun shining and a new hope rising out of the gloomy water.

A minute before seven, Kagami's bedroom laid silent. The only thing that freely came in her room was the sunlight. Like a little angel, she slept under the covers of her blanket. Even with closed windows the room temperature was comparable to that of a fridge. The chilly temperature made her sleep all the more. The second hand moved the hour hand directly to 12 as it went past 12. Then a loud ring cut her beauty sleep short. The ringing was more annoying than the flapping of windows last night since the alarm clock was one of the closest things to her. A few seconds after seven, the alarm clock succeeded in waking her up. Then she realized one big mistake: she never asked him what time would they meet today. Then again, Tokyo Tower doesn't open as early as this; so she presumed that he would come at around nine o' clock. An hour before that would be too early and an hour after that would be too late. She did what was necessary in a Sunday morning: take a bath, freshen and dress up, read the morning paper while having breakfast, not to mention making final checks before the offensive. Her dazzling outfit, not the attractive type but really lets out the beauty within, would take more than words to describe it. Her mother was the only one awake on a very early morning, fixing breakfast for the family as soon as they broke the spell of the sandman.

"Good morning" Kagami greeted like the usual.

"Good morning too, dear…" Her mother replied like her cheerful self. "Today's the big day."

"I'm pretty nervous right now. I might screw this up."

"Whether the date fails or succeeds is not what matters now. The important thing is you have fun out there."

"I guess so."

"By the way, he called a while ago; saying he forgot to tell what time you two would meet. He said nine-thirty."

"Figures…I was also thinking of the same thing."

A different kind of surprise confronted the Izumi household, not to mention Konata. She had been hacking and slashing creepy thingies and going on different quests since yesterday afternoon after school. Konata is the type who can go on gaming for three straight days (although she took a break when she visited Kagami for a special lecture). But like any human being, she too has her limits. Believed that she had leveled up a lot since yesterday, she decided to stop for a while to smell the roses. If today was a school day, she could barely keep up with the lesson and frequently receive real good wallops from her world history teacher. She wanted to observe Kagami today to know how the date would go but she could barely keep her eyes wide open as effect of all-night gaming. Still, she had done her part in preparing her friend for the inevitable. Time would handle the rest.

"Konata, come down here for a second." Kona-dad called.

She was dead tired from leveling up her character; still she went down as instructed. In the dining room, she saw her dad with a certain visitor—a visitor whom she knew better than anybody else.

"Ah good morning, Kuroi-sensei…" Konata greeted, dead tired and sleepily yawning.

"Correction: I'm now Izumi Nanako."

"SAY WHAT???"

Souijiro further explained the unexpected declaration. "I know it's too sudden, Konata. But I have decided to love again. She will be your new mother from now on."

"D-Dad, you're joking. Tell me you're joking!" Konata said.

"You didn't disagree when I thought about remarrying. So I did…and your teacher is the perfect candidate."

Konata had no other choice but to accept Kuroi—no, Izumi-sensei as her new mother. Deep down Kanata will always be her original mother but for the case of healing her dad's broken heart, there was a new name in town: Izumi Nanako. The proper ceremonies would have to wait.

Kagami left the house at around eight-thirty, carrying her handbag and a small bag of cookies as her gift to Hajime. The train was the fastest means of transportation to the metropolis. Waiting for it to come from the adjacent station was time-consuming. The country's symbol of economic power didn't have all day to wait for boy and girl to meet; it too has its opening and closing times. Fifteen minutes later, the train bound for the capital city arrived and opened all of its doors to both incoming and outgoing passengers. As soon as she stepped foot inside the train, the doors behind her closed and the entire vehicle moved. Along the way, she thought of several ways to greet her date in a beautiful Sunday morning. After all, a good morning deserves a good greeting.

"(Hello senpai, how are you? No that would be too ordinary.)"

"(Hey senpai, the weather's pretty nice isn't it? A little too perky…)"

"(A pleasure to meet your acquaintance…? Too formal…)"

"(Greetings, I come in peace? Like I'm some alien from another galaxy…)"

"This is making me look like a complete idiot. I should greet like usual."

Stations later, the train stopped where she needed to get off. Since her friend Miyuki lived within the metropolis, she followed the route going to her house. Hopefully she could be sure of where she was going by asking directions from someone who had been living in the metropolis for so long. There wasn't a need to look for her because Miyuki was anticipating her just outside of her home.

"Ah Miyuki, what a coincidence; I was going to ask you the way to Tokyo Tower." Kagami said.

"I'll be happy to take you there. I'm about to run some errands anyway."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

Back at the Izumi residence, a war was about to erupt with father and daughter as the opposing forces or powers.

"You didn't disagree when I thought about remarrying." Souijiro defended his stand. "I think you were too busy reading your manga back then."

"I don't disagree with you if you want to remarry." Konata replied. "But with sensei as my new mother…it's completely out of this world."

"Konata, don't blurt out things like that in front of her!"

"She's the type who would fix me up real good whenever I'm asleep."

"Well that's…, wait a second; you fall asleep in class?"

"I have a good reason for that. I always finish my assignments late at night."

"I'm on to you, Konata. One more and its goodbye to every single one of your stuff in your room..."

"Whoa, dad…! You can't do that! I spent my entire lifetime collecting those!"

"Unless you'd be nice to your new mother and get your grades straight, all of your manga and video games will be in danger of confiscation."

"Dad…!"

It took them a while but Kagami and Miyuki finally reached their destination: the Eiffel Tower-like Tokyo Tower. Kagami has seen it several times on TV but never up close and personal. The TV made the illusion of the tower being small than the usual. But when the tower was only a few meters away, the illusion fooled her completely.

"Well, I have to leave you here then." Miyuki said. "I still have some errands to run."

"Well okay, thanks for your time." Kagami replied.

As soon as Miyuki was out of sight, Kagami looked at her wrist watch—fifteen more minutes before the said time. What could she possibly do with fifteen more minutes? She could grab a quick bite at a nearby 24-hour convenience store or buy another gift to go with the cookies. With only a handful of yen inside her purse, buying another gift or grabbing a quick bite was out of the question. The money she had with her today was reserved for emergency purposes so overspending was not her style of a date. All that thinking made her spent all fifteen minutes of waiting. Hajime had already spotted her.

"I'm glad that you came after all." He greeted. "I thought you would have me waiting here for nothing."

"Oh please, I'm not like that."

"Before I forget, this is for you."

Hajime handed out a medium-sized box with fancy decorations in it. It needed not to be wrapped because it was fancy already from the inside out. When Kagami opened the box, inside it was a black stuff toy cat with a smooth fur and the softness enough for it to serve as a pillow.

"Wow, a stuff toy cat." Kagami said. "Oh, this is also for you."

She handed out the bag of cookies that Tsukasa made yesterday. She felt a little bad because her gift to someone else was made by somebody else.

"Wow, chocolate chip cookies. They're my favorite." Hajime commented.

"Sorry if I didn't make them. I actually…uh…am not good at household chores."

"It doesn't matter. Your presence here is enough of a gift for me."

"Uh...that's…" Kagami blushed. "Flattery won't get you anywhere."

"Shall we go, then? Tokyo is waiting." Hajime let out a loud laugh.

"Sure."

It had been a grueling three days—being struck by lightning, fighting confusion with focus and concentration, upholding her position as Tsukasa's older twin sister (although neither of them are actually older nor younger), being physically and mentally prepared for the inevitable, and not to mention getting lessons from life. Today was the day she would put all that she had learned during the past three days to good use. It didn't matter if the date was a failure or success. Safety was still a top priority and also the measure of her happiness. It was now up to Hajime to make her happy throughout the entire day by seeing sights, buying her gifts, and more importantly bringing her home safe and sound back to Saitama.

TO BE CONTINUED


	11. Dogs

_Chapter 10B: Dogs_

Aside from being the capital of the country and home to the well-known Imperial Palace, Tokyo has more than historical sites to offer its inhabitants and tourists. The city is divided into districts, each with a unique advantage such as the shopping district of Shibuya or the temple central of Asakusa. Kagami and Hajime weren't going to visit them all because time couldn't allow them. They were going to visit some of them but not all. For Hajime, he wanted to save the best for last—Tokyo Tower. First on his agenda was a Western breakfast at a well-known Western restaurant across the crossing. He had to skip that because Kagami already had breakfast at home. They spent an entire hour or two strolling around some of the open shops in Shibuya. She never had imagined Tokyo being bigger than the ones they showed on television. There were fancy shops with hefty price tags over both local and imported items. She was too shy to request for something even though the Hajime and the Takara families shared their precious wealth amongst themselves. But the items displayed on the store windows were very tempting; as if the items were begging to her to buy them.

"Is this your first time in Tokyo?" Hajime asked.

"Umm…sort of…" Kagami answered shyly.

"Come on, at least you must like something here."

"I would've bought them if I had enough money right now. Plus you never told me that we were going for a lovely stroll around the metropolis."

"It wouldn't be a date if we were going in only one destination, would it?"

"D-Date…? Who said this was a date?"

"Don't worry; I promised Miyuki that you would be in good hands."

Kagami spoke no more. Otherwise she would be ruining her own great day. Then, her eyes were caught by a glimmering sight not far from where she stood. Upon leaning on the glass, the glimmering sight was a diamond necklace dangling on a white dummy neck. Combined with sunlight, it shone bright enough to keep vampires away. Judging from the astounded look in her face, she wanted the piece of jewelry badly. But with little amount of bills and coins in her purse, she could hardly even buy a discounted blouse which was way cheaper than any piece of jewelry. Suddenly, she caught the horrendous sight of the jewel being taken away from display by the store clerk and being sold to a man. Moderately disappointed, she met up with Hajime who just came out of the jewelry store.

"You really admired that necklace for a second there." He said.

"Maybe it's not really for me. After all, I really don't need those things to make me happy." Kagami replied; moderately disappointed.

"Maybe…" Hajime said, opening a red box and showing the diamond necklace. "Maybe not…"

"Oh, this is…! But you didn't need to do that."

"Disappointment is written all over your face. It's a boy's duty to keep a girl acquainted."

"Senpai, I…I don't know what to say."

"Please call me Takashi in public. Honorifics may give respect to a person but I don't need respect to gain a position in society. I gain respect to share it with others who don't gain the respect they need in their life."

"T-Takashi-senpai…you talk as if you're a philosopher."

"I only talk what my mind has formulated. But my decisions are influenced by my heart."

"You must be trying to win my heart. That must be it!"

"That depends…do we speak the same thoughts? If we do, then it must be correct."

Regardless of the looming thought, Hajime put the diamond necklace around Kagami's neck and locked it behind.

"It suits you, Kagami-san." Hajime commented.

"Let's go." Kagami replied, blushing but refused to make it obvious to him.

The diamond necklace was only the first of Hajime's most wonderful gifts for Kagami right after the stuff toy cat. As they walked along the busybody streets of the Shibuya district, she realized that there was more to Tokyo than meets the eye; and there was more to her admirer than meets the eye as well. Resisting temptation of overspending, she walked along lines of apparel stores and digital shops; not to mention restaurants with prices that were heavy on the budget. She could only do nothing but stare at marvelous displays on the windows along with their respective price tags. For Kagami, having such a necklace made out of real diamond was over the budget. She felt very shy and a little bit scared roaming around the metropolis wearing something expensive around her that made her vulnerable to thieves; not with the glimmering sight that could be seen from a few yards away. However for Hajime, the necklace was chicken feed to him; since he was a boy from a rich family and society. Money didn't matter to him as long as there was a compensation of happiness in exchange for a certain payment. He was unique among the wealthy society. He didn't care about fame or power; but more of success in life. He was a man of virtues—respect, love, justice…

Her wrist clock said it was eleven in the morning. It was at that time that they left Shibuya for Asakusa. Since both of them were very fervent at praying, they spent their time longer than in Shibuya. In their prayers they included a sense of gratitude—thanks for this wondrous day after three grueling days of suffering. Sunday was the right day for a break after three tiring days and two restless nights (not to mention a week of downpour). Compared to the temple in Washimiya, the one in Asakusa was bigger and attracted more visitors. At the start of the afternoon, they left the temples for lunch. This time, Kagami insisted that she'd be the one to treat him.

"Don't. Let me do it this time." She said.

"If that's what you desire, then it's okay for me." Hajime accepted her condition.

They went in a traditional Japanese restaurant not far from the temple and the train station. True that she was short on cash but not short enough to afford lunch. A rice bowl would be enough to satisfy their hunger; topped with meat, vegetables, and egg depending on their choice in the menu. Although Hajime wasn't asking for anything in return (as expected of a virtuous man), a simple lunch as this wouldn't be enough to repay him. A diamond necklace was worth a rice bowl for each of the crowd of hundreds. Despite of her statement, Hajime slipped some money bills inside Kagami's pocket silently and swiftly while they were ordering.

"Takashi, you're unusually close to me." Kagami remarked but didn't see the trick.

"Am I? Sorry." Hajime apologized and moved a little farther.

"Are you sure you're not winning my heart?"

"That depends on how you think of my actions."

Kagami wanted to know more about her admirer. So she asked some questions concerning his blood relation with her best friend Miyuki…since curiosity needed to be spoon-fed.

"So how are you related to Miyuki?"

"We're cousins. Our family equally share wealth with her family to promote general welfare and close family ties."

"I see. Then how do you share wealth?"

"Mostly through financial aid…when one of us is nearing bankruptcy. Sometimes it happens in holidays where we exchange gifts. Its amazing how two families benefit by sacrificing a part of their wealth for the common good."

"Miyuki is from a rich family so formalities are not unusual to her. Besides, she gives that cool atmosphere that makes me and my friends very relaxed."

All that talking about Miyuki made her sneeze all of a sudden in front of her mother while watching a travel program on TV.

"Are you catching a cold, Miyuki?" Her mother asked.

"It's nothing. Maybe someone's talking about me."

"That's nonsense. It's just some urban myth."

"Perhaps…"

0

"This time, I want to know more about you." Hajime concluded; putting his chopsticks on top of the empty rice bowl.

"Well, I have a twin sister but I act as the older twin." Kagami started. "I also have two older sisters, a father, and a mother. We take turns in making meals; although I'm not that good at housework."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of if you're not good at something important. That's why practice makes perfect."

"I'm pretty much embarrassed right now."

"Don't worry; that will wear off eventually. We still have lots to see. Shall we get going then?"

"Okay but this time, I'll pay for our lunch."

She zipped her purse open, only to notice that she only had pure coins that weren't enough for the lunch bill. She hoped that prospecting for bills inside her skirt pocket would spare the both of them from washing dishes. Unexpectedly, she felt something papery inside—bill denominations upon drawing out. They were worth more than what she imagined.

"Wait a minute; I don't recall having paper bills inside my pocket." She suspected, looking at her admirer who was whistling randomly.

"Don't look at me. I'm just waiting here patiently." Hajime replied.

Nevertheless, she paid the exact amount with the bills that mysteriously appeared out of her pocket prospecting; still suspecting Hajime as the one who secretly slipped a few bills inside her pocket. Shortly afterwards, both left Asakusa for Tokyo Tower—their last destination; before Hajime's surprise to Kagami that was awaiting their return to the Takara residence. The tower stood high above any skyscraper in the metropolis not to mention the Shinjuku district. It wasn't only a tourist attraction but also served as a medium for radio and TV broadcasting. Its popular portion was the view deck where tourists were granted a full 360 vision of the entire metropolis. The lovely couple arrived at the view deck where the buildings below were as tiny as ants and the people walking about as microscopic as bacteria. The only thing big to them was the sunny sky; the sunlight penetrating through the shockproof glass. It was the perfect spot for them not to see the entirety of the capital of their homeland but to discuss the matter that had been kept waiting for so long.

"I'm glad that you still remember me back from our childhood days." Hajime started. "Most of the time, I would follow you from school to home."

"I still don't know you back then. Since you were a grade higher than me…" Kagami replied.

"My confession was supposed to be during that time. But I was too afraid to take the plunge."

"So you built up your confidence and blurted everything to me three days ago."

"Do you already have an answer? Or do you need more time?"

Today is the day Kagami will make the life-changing decision. However, being troubled by the pointers she got from mother-daughter Izumi, she needed more time to think about it. Of course, she can't make him wait any longer. Three ideas warred with each other in her mind: the determined yes, the determined no, and the undetermined. Aside from yes or no, a third faction tells her to think about her yes or no decision, taking into consideration the advantages and the consequences or fatalities that will determine the next set of good or bad events. In the event of affirmation, both will become lovebirds and will be one step closer in swearing eternal vows. It also offers consequences like Konata's forceful demonstration. Otherwise, their relationship won't surpass the friendship level; with the fatality of the possibility that both will suffer a terrible feeling in their hearts—regret. If neutral, both will be given more time to think; with the disadvantage that it may be too late when they already have an answer. Every direction in her journey held good and bad points. These three roads lead to one highway but she can only choose one that, to her, is the most ideal route to take.

"Takashi…"

"Yes?"

"I…"

Kagami was to make the ultimate decision when all of a sudden…

"HAJIME!!!"

Another boy of his age approached him and gave him a good punch in the face that sent him crashing down.

"Takashi…!" Kagami tried to help him but two more boys, particularly of her age, grappled both her arms and prevented her from moving. "What? Let me go! Let me go! Who are you people?!"

"Sano, what are you doing?" Hajime said; trembling.

"Taking what was rightfully mine for the taking three days ago: Hiiragi Kagami!"

TO BE CONTINUED


	12. Deluge

_Chapter 11: Deluge_

"What are you talking about?" Hajime asked; suppressing the pain in his face with his bare hands.

"You always had everything: smarts, fame, not to mention a heart of gold." The person who gave him a painful jab replied angrily. "You were even favored by dad as the next inheritor to the company. And now you're trying to take away the girl I love? That's unforgivable!"

"What's your problem? I never did anything to ruin your pride! You're just making yourself miserable!"

"You're not getting your wants this time! Let's go, boys."

The threesome fugitives dragged their prize along with them as they left the view deck of Tokyo Tower. Kagami's cry for help proved futile for her shouting proved to be insufficient for her admirer to save a damsel in distress. He was too hurt to even move a muscle, considering that he not only inflicted a powerful jab right in the face but also inflicted several kicks in his body during negotiation. No spectators were around when it happened. He wanted to call the proper authorities to report of a kidnapping situation…at a risk that it would complicate things and have her family worry or even worse blame him for his inability to protect Kagami. He would be humiliated in addition to his blame. He had to resolve the matter on his own. Hajime slowly forced himself to rise up and dragged his bruised body to the elevator; hoping that his rival at love was still there.

Meanwhile, outside the tower premises, the boys hurriedly went inside their blue SUV and made tracks. They weren't in a hurry though but they had more than Hajime to worry about—the cops. Kagami demanded an explanation for such a crime committed right in front of her.

"What do you want from me?! I don't even know you guys!"

"Is that the thanks I get for dragging you away from that fugitive?" Her kidnapper asked.

"Watch your mouth! Besides, you're the fugitive!"

"It will all be explained once we're somewhere safe."

"Let me go! I don't want to be brought to somewhere safe with you three!"

She desired to say more until her words overwhelmed the criminals. Alas, it ended when one of the boys beside her pressed a folded white handkerchief against her nose. Whatever scent she picked up, it made her fall asleep on the way. It turned out that the handkerchief was sprayed with sleeping gas. When Hajime reached ground floor, the fugitives were nowhere in his sights. He was too late to save his love from his rival both in power and love.

"I'm sorry, Kagami-san. I was too careless. Don't worry, I'll save you."

The person who assaulted Hajime Takashi earlier identified by him as his twin brother: Hajime Sano. Although he is from a different school also within Saitama, he's not very distant to see Kagami go home from the campus everyday of his life. Also being Miyuki's cousin, he was formerly the next successor to one of the biggest gaming companies in the country. However, his father was mesmerized by the skills of his twin brother Takashi. As a result, the crown of succession was moved to him instead of Sano. Obviously, this made him very frustrated and decided to live with his grandfather who runs a kendo dojo in Kanagawa. He brought every last one of his possessions with him, including his most cherished treasure: a laminated wallet-size picture of Kagami smiling and flashing a peace sign under the shade of a tree. According to Sano, he could sacrifice everything: riches, fame, power; except the picture—that was how deep his love for her was. When he first received the picture from his cousin Miyuki, he was stunned by an overwhelming and formal feeling just by looking at her picture. He had never met Kagami before because he was too shy to make a move. It just happened that he also planned on confessing on the same day Takashi confessed to Kagami. Awestruck by this event, he even had more of an excuse to be angry at his twin brother. It seemed to him that the only way to win her heart was by force. And so he gathered two of his friends from second year and planned an attempted kidnapping plot on the same day Kagami and Takashi were to go to Tokyo Tower.

"(He had taken everything from me. Now I'm going to take one thing away from him—his pride.)"

Interstates and highways later, the car pulled over to a hut by the seaside. Sunlight bore through some masses of cumulus clouds. The reflection offered a sparkling view of the blue horizon. Sano and the boys went out of their SUV and carried the sleeping beauty inside the hut. The hut itself was deserted—devoid of any residents. It was the perfect place for their hideout; at least until Sano could convince Kagami that Takashi's kindness and sincerity were only skin-deep. Coincidentally, she woke up while she was being tied up to a wooden chair by the two boys. However Sano came in and said that won't be necessary.

"Where am I?" Kagami had no choice but to ask for the sake of her welfare.

"A hut by the seaside…you're lucky to have slept peacefully." Sano answered. "I haven't slept since last night."

"You should've. Kidnapping me won't bring you any good."

"I didn't bring you here because I want to. Another moment and he would've invited you for cold hard ."

"For the second time, watch your mouth! Don't speak of him like that!"

"You think I'm lying? We're twins! We know each other more than anybody in the world."

"You're just speaking like that so you can influence me into thinking that Takashi is a bad person and eventually break up with him. (Break…? Why did I say that? We're not on yet.)"

"Break…? Does it mean you two are together now?"

"No, you misunderstood. Then again, he asked me if I can be his girlfriend. (Pull yourself together, Kagami! It's not like you to say such words!)"

"What was your answer then?"

"Well I…wait a second; it's no business of yours!"

Three hours after twelve, the hut lay quiescent. The sea breeze blew across the shoreline, bringing in wave after wave that washed the sandy coast and not to mention the swaying of nearby trees to the will of the wind. Kagami was stripped off of any means of communication—she had been deprived of her cellular phone. One of the two boys who were with Sano was standing by the hut entrance; while the other just near the window facing the open road. While their boss was getting some shuteye, they were put in charge of being watchdogs for both the hostage and the hammers of justice. They were also instructed not to do anything stupid and regrettable that would threaten or destroy her dignity. Back at the metropolis, Takashi went around without any lead to where his hostile twin brother might have taken Kagami. It wasn't only her that was at stake but also Takashi's promise to Miyuki that he would bring her home safe and sound to Saitama. Everything seemed to hang by a thread that was on the verge of snapping unless a proper course of action was taken as soon as possible.

The two boys suddenly approached her with a dastardly grin on their faces. Judging by the looks on their faces, they were going to go against their boss's strict orders. One of them grabbed a silver spray bottle with the label "sleeping gas" on it.

"W-What are you going to do with that?" Kagami said, terrified.

"This won't hurt a bit." One of them sprayed a considerable amount in front of her face that knocked her out once again.

When she was sound asleep, the boys laid her down on the straw floor. One by one she was stripped off of her clothing button by button. Before anything could be exposed to them, Sano woke up just in time to stop them by giving them a powerful kick that flung them across the hut.

"I told you two: no funny stuff!" Sano yelled in a forceful rage.

"What's your damage? Nobody's around but us." One of them said.

"That's not my point, idiot! We didn't take her away just for this!"

"Isn't this also what you want? To have her as your own…?"

"You son of a …! I'm here to win her heart; not to break it! Now get your asses back to your posts!"

"Forget it! We're through!"

Furious, the two boys left the hut walking the rest of the distance back to the metropolis. He lost two good friends thanks to his elusive objective. All that was left was he, the sleeping beauty, and his blue SUV parked outside the hut. Out of something bad, something good happened in return. Sano had prevented a horrendous scene where Kagami's resolve would be crushed by two tempted teenagers. Such an event could've been dreadful for both of them. However, the problem was far from over.

Back at Saitama in the Hiiragi household, it was Tsukasa's turn to wash the dishes; in accordance with the agreed schedule for household chores. Next to the kitchen sink was a tower of plates stained with today's meal. With a running faucet and a sponge, she washed every single one of them off food stains. When she was down to the last plate, she accidentally dropped the last plate which shattered into pieces upon impact. Although none of the fragments wounded her, she stayed frozen in front of the running water. Her mother heard the crashing sound and hurried to the kitchen.

"Oh my, Tsukasa, that's the third one this month." Her mother said. "Let me take over there."

Tsukasa made no response whatsoever. She just went away from the kitchen then hurried upstairs to her room. From there, the face of fear appeared.

"Onee-san…" She whispered. "Onee-san is in trouble."

She had feared the worst. Grabbing her cellular phone in the desk, she immediately dialed Kagami's number. Unfortunately, an answer machine told her that the number she dialed was out of coverage area or had turned her unit off. Without any reply from her big sister, she continued to think of the possibilities that her big sister was definitely in trouble. Tsukasa was so terrified, she cried all alone in her room, praying that destiny would answer her plea and bring her sister back in one piece.

"Onee-san…onee-san…!"

Back at the deserted hut, Kagami woke up again. She found herself lying down in a hammock with Sano looking out the doorway into the open sea. The events that happened before she was knocked out cold were very blurry—she couldn't remember a thing or two. She noticed that his two lackeys were nowhere to be seen.

"I apologize for whatever those morons have done to you. Believe me I don't have dirty intentions." Sano said, still looking out the doorway.

"You do have a dirty intention: dragging me in the middle of nowhere." Kagami replied.

"Let me ask you something."

"Now what…? Whatever your question is—"

"Do you really love my brother?"

Kagami stopped talking. Her face turned all red with shyness. Shortly afterwards, she regained her courage and bluntly said to him:

"I told you! It's no business of yours! Learn to respect other people's privacy!"

"Do you want to hear my tale? We both lived under one roof in the past so I know much about him."

"All I'm hearing now are lies, lies, and more lies! What did he even do to you? Are you jealous because he's smarter and kinder than you? That isn't my problem anymore! But one thing's for sure: you have to accept that fact and become a better person the hard way."

"You don't understand at all. I AM a better person. It's Takashi's fault that I have to resort to this kind of measure. No matter how hard I try to become a better person, he's always one step ahead of me."

"Are you EVEN trying to become a better person? Do you even call yourself a better person after committing a crime that can spell life sentence in prison?

"I have no choice! Takashi confessing to you was the last straw! It's time to take matters into my own hands!"

"Stop this! You're being foolish!"

"I'll show him that there is more to me than meets the eye. I'll show everyone that I am also capable of doing things that he can do too."

"Nobody's depriving you of your ability to do stuff! But if you're that desperate, fine! Let me hear your story!"

TO BE CONTINUED


	13. Inundation

_Chapter 12: Inundation_

In a deserted hut facing the open sea in the middle of the afternoon, a sorrowful yet infuriated man tells a tale of suffering. Through the years, he has been carrying his heavy burden as he watches his greatest archenemy being pampered in luxury. His anger was built out of it and eventually evolved in a more drastic form: revenge. The winds blew harder than before and leaves rained down on the little hut by the seaside. His first desire was to be heard out by his guest—his wish came true. He didn't know where to start but he was a good persuader on top of that. He could convince his guest through his story depending on how well he told the tale or how gravely affected his guest's heart was just by hearing him out. Unfortunately, he only had one chance to do this. In the event that he failed to convince his guest, the second attempt would be five times harder than the first. He sat down on a chair that rocked back and forth depending on his movement and took a deep breath before telling the tale.

_My name is Hajime Sano. In the family, I'm one of the twin sons of the president of a multinational gaming company in which its name is famous throughout the globe. In school, I'm just an ordinary high school boy with ambitions to run my own company. Thanks to a change of mind made by my foolish father, the crown of succession in the company and the wealth of the family now reside in the hands of my other twin brother: Hajime Takashi. This made me very furious and forced me to take up arms and fight for the right of succession by running away along with my share of the family wealth and getting proper education to fulfill my dream of having my very own gaming company that will come in equal terms with the family's company. Then, when the time is right, I will have them regret that they chose him over me. _

_My story starts when I came for a visit at the Takara residence a year ago. I wanted to see how much my cousin Miyuki had grown. Although it was legal to marry my first cousin, I just laughed it away because it didn't feel right for me. Even if they forced me to, I wouldn't comply because it was an act of deprivation of my right. Anyway, during dinner, Miyuki told me about her school life with her wonderful friends. I was glad to see her smiling more frequently than my last visit when I was still at middle school. I asked her what her friends looked like. But she only had one picture of them, wallet size. She had twin purple pigtails and smiling while flashing a peace sign under the shade of the tree. Upon looking at the photo, I dropped my spoon into the soup. The splash stained my good clothing but I cared less because an emanating beauty mesmerized me, as my eyes had perceived. As I looked at the photo longer, Miyuki took the time of introducing her to me. _

_"Her name is Hiiragi__Kagami. She's very smart and also a class representative; just like me. I'm sorry if I only have her to introduce to you. I'll show you my other friends in the future."_

_I thought I was dreaming at first because I had never seen a girl like her. It's like a dream come true. In fact, it was too good and too real to be a dream. I desired to meet this girl in person and have her know that I was blessed to have known her. _

_"Miyuki, can I keep the photo?" I requested. _

_"Um…sure…" She answered with a little bit of hesitation._

_"Don't __worry;__ I'll take care of this picture as if it was my own son."_

_With that being said, I left the Takara home because my dad had something important to say to me. During that time, we recently discussed my succession to the family's wealth and his company. My dad was pretty old and his arthritis made it worse and more of an excuse for his inability to work efficiently. He planned on giving me the keys to the building his hard work built while my twin brother Takashi would inherit the computer company also owned by our family. We had no violent reactions about that. We were happy in our state of being. Adding my first meeting with the most beautiful girl in the face of the planet, life is very wonderful. Along the way in my blue SUV, I stopped to buy today's paper. Of course, since I would soon own a multinational company, I looked at the business section of the broadsheet. In the front page of the business section it said that both of the family's companies, the gaming and the computer company, have already merged into one huge company. I was overjoyed by the news because I would be managing a bigger company than the usual. Then again at the same time, I was worried because Takashi wouldn't have anything to manage from now on thanks to the sudden merging. This must be the important announcement of my father for me. I went home immediately after the sudden news, rejoicing and worrying at the same time. _

_My father welcomed me upon arriving at home. He told me to follow him to the gazebo. We sat down __under the roof of the gazebo while a cool breeze whipped up while having a cup of coffee. It was then I realized that the merging of the two companies was only part of his important announcement to me. His lips flapped and I heard…words that were too terrible for me to hear. _

_"You're moving the crown of succession to him?" I said exclaiming._

_"__Your brother proved to be more efficient at work. For the sake of our family and the company, I wish you'd understand."_

_"No, don't give me that! I too am working hard to become just like you. Then you're going to give it to someone who even barely passed the high school exams?" _

_"Your brother showed top class management in all aspects. He can run the company better."_

_"Are you implying that I can't run the company efficiently?"_

_"I said no such thing. But please try to understand that this is for our sake. I know that you strive hard to become a successful businessman but none of us want to lose everything we've worked hard for." _

_"I can't believe this! It's like you're saying that Takashi is your favorite—the better twin!"_

_"Sano, listen to me—"_

_"No, you listen to me and you listen well! Don't think that I'm incapable of running a multinational company efficiently. I can be as better as—no, even better than him! Just you see!"_

_I stood up with anger written all over my face and marched inside the mansion. __I ignored everything and everyone around me. The only thing that was on my mind was to have a personal talk with my twin brother who had just been promoted; or about to be promoted to CEO. I barged into his room and saw him relaxing in his air-conditioned room and watching a movie he rented. _

_"You got some explaining to do, Takashi!" _

_"What are you talking about?" _

_"Don't play dumb with me! You obviously persuaded dad to move the crown of succession to you."_

_"Don't go making false accusations. Dad just approached me and said to me that I would be taking his place once he dies."_

_"You had the choice to say 'no'! I was next in line, not you!" _

_"I can't help it. It was Dad talking, not some employee.__" _

_"I can't think of anyone to blame but you. You always had everything: high grades, heart of gold, and not to mention being favored by most of our relatives. You seem to not have a weakness! That sickens me."_

_Eventually, the mansion security separated the both of us before I could even give him the one-two. My father saw me burning in fury and uncontrollable anger and did the inevitable on me—he slapped me with his arthritic hands. _

_"Listen Sano, if you're going to show an attitude like that towards your brother, then you have no right to administer my company! Reflect on your actions and cool down." _

_After thinking about my actions, I decided that this family doesn't deserve me more than I deserve them. I quickly packed my things and silently tiptoed across the silent mansion to the door. I told the guards who were on duty that night that I was going out for some exercise since it was 4:30 in the morning. I left with my blue SUV, my things, and my share of the family's wealth. I swore to myself that I would erect my own company from scratch and I would run it more efficiently than them. That way, they would regret having moved the crown of succession to someone like Takashi. On top of everything else, I needed a place to stay. I turned my attention to my grandfather who solely ran a kendo dojo in Kanagawa. __Hours on the road and I've reached my grandfather's dojo where he accepted me in exchange of training with him in the ways of the samurai. From that day on, nobody in the family called me in Kanagawa. My only chance of happiness was at the mercy of one person—Hiiragi Kagami. _

_After another visit to Miyuki's house__ and a talk with her mother__, I got the information I needed. I quickly drove to the town of Kasukabe where I pulled over at Ryouou High School. I parked nearby and monitored the campus entrance from the comforts of my car. That time, it was dark and cloudy—rainfall seemed totally imminent. Hours of waiting later, I saw a freshman girl with twin purple pigtails. There was no mistake—it was her. She was waiting for somebody just outside the campus building. I quickly went out of my car and crossed the street. I hid behind the wall to build up my courage. Then when the time was perfect, I saw a horrible and unbelievable __sight: my brother. He approached and talked with her. I couldn't reveal myself otherwise I would be found by the last person I wanted to be with. I stood my ground and surveyed the two. I could hear their talk since the surroundings were as quiet as a library. _

_Then, I realized that I had enough. My last chance of happiness was lost to the man I considered my greatest enemy aside from myself. My hopes for a good future have been shattered by his proposal to you. The only way to settle things was by breaking the rules of life. This is now where my story ends. _

"Now you know." Sano said.

"I…didn't know that you cared as much as him." Kagami replied subtly. "But…the fact that I haven't answered his request…"

"There's still time. You can make the right choice by denial."

"But…"

"If you can't answer such a question, then we'll fight for your heart. Takashi and me will duel blood for blood, life for life, and by such way determine who has the right."

"Wait, it doesn't have to be this way!"

"I didn't mean spilling blood literally. I meant a kendo match right here. I'll show my brother how tough I can be."

"Like I said, nobody's depriving you of your abilities. You have the wrong idea."

"No! I have been mocked for too long by those who raised me from birth. This is how they will treat me in return to all the hardship I have endured over the past years? The time for talk is over."

TO BE CONTINUED


	14. Cascade

_Chapter 13: Cascade_

There were only a couple more hours before sunset; before nighttime envelops the skies over the country. Time was ticking fast as people scurried around the metropolis, going to different places for different itineraries. The number of commuters in bus and train increased gradually per minute. The afternoon rush hour was approaching fast. Every train going in and out of the grand station was always full—unless an early bird, available vacant seats were ruled out. Buses were also practically full of people going to various locations as directed by the bus routes. As a lot of people relaxed in coffee shops drinking a cup of their favorite brew and something to read, a chosen few hurried to the bus and train stations to grab a ride home before they would be forced to wait for several more minutes for the next one. The queues to the stations were ridiculously lengthy, making it a drag for somebody who desired to be home as quick as possible. Station personnel pushed the long queue forward into the train carriages packed with passengers bound for prefectures near the metropolis. The luminous sun that shone brightly at the break of dawn was now concealed behind layers of clouds dyed white. Pedestrian crossings in different districts around the capital were full of crossing masses. Traffic was heavy in most parts of the city and diversion of vehicles to alternative routes seemed technically impossible. This was Tokyo submerged in the pool of the afternoon rush hour—a chaotic time for the population; not to mention the police.

During this rush hour, Hajime Takashi searched different districts randomly for a single person who was taken away by his jealous twin brother Sano. But without a certain lead to where he had taken that person, Takashi was getting nowhere. All hope seemed to have gone down the drain; his last streak of hope was at the hands of the hammers of justice—the police. By the time he reported the incident to the proper authorities, the police would have reported the incident to the victim's family to be notified of such a crime. He has to take the punishment for failure of upholding his promise to his cousin Miyuki Takara. In addition to that, he will be disgracing himself as a sincere man—someone who upholds honor and the truth in every aspect of his life. Today may be his last day of seeing the girl he loves. On top of that, they may be forbidden to cross paths for eternity. Fate may put up an invisible bulwark between the lovebirds. This might be the inevitable that was described from the start.

However, it wasn't only the lovebirds who where directly affected. A third party or faction, through the ominous sign of a shattered plate, joined. Throughout the afternoon, Tsukasa kept herself locked up in her room crying in fear after having accidentally dropped a plate that broke into sharp fragments upon forceful contact with the floor. She lied down on her bed as tears trickled down her rosy cheeks. In an indirect manner, she somehow foresaw the danger her sister was facing. Unfortunately without any lead to her whereabouts and the means to get there, all she could do was expect the safe return of her sister back in the safety of the house and the family regardless of the form of dangerous ordeal she faced. After three days of serious preparations, why did it have to end like this? Was there a fault in the plans in today's itineraries? Did neither of them show enthusiasm between one another? Was this horrendous event unexpected, thus, letting their guard down? Did it have something to do with the sudden entrance of Kuroi-sensei into the Izumi family? Did Kagami make a mistake in applying all the lessons she had learned during her days of preparation? Did Takashi fail to meet her demands?

Or is this the last part of the long test?

Having being spared from the inevitable, Kagami loitered around the hut under Sano's watchful eye. She opened a cabinet in the far end of the hut, only to find a dusty chessboard inside. She can't do anything much from that point on. Although she was free of being strangled by ropes, she was still a damsel in distress. She grabbed the dusty old chessboard, set it on the table, and blew the thin layer of dust away. Upon opening the board, there were the necessary pieces to play the mind-testing game. Two color sets were in it: black and white. After a head count, she realized that a white rook was missing from the chess set.

"Are you good at chess?" Sano asked her.

"Not really…" Kagami answered. "I don't play the game much."

"Me either. Takashi always wins."

The flashback dated back several years ago in the brothers' childhood days. Their last game with each other was neck-to-neck. Only a few pieces were left on either side of the chessboard. Sweat rolled like an avalanche down their faces. Tensions were obviously at sky-level. Neither showed signs of weariness of both mind and body. Then, with one slam of Takashi's chess piece…

"Checkmate."

The game and the flashback ended horrifically.

"That was the last game I played with Takashi. After that, I never played chess again." He said.

"You're so hopeless." Kagami replied. "There's no need to emote on that. It's only a game."

"The game of chess determines our mind power. It's no mere game."

"You're overreacting. But I can't do much about it."

"How about you and me play a round of chess?"

"I told you already: I don't play the game much."

"Not even in exchange for your freedom?"

"You can't trick me with that kind of reasoning. You kidnapped me for the sole purpose of luring your brother here. There's no way you'll release me just like that. Besides, you criminals don't even uphold your promises."

"Miyuki is right: you are a smart girl."

"Hmm…maybe you can keep me entertained with a game. I mean, I have nothing to lose anyway and I'm pretty bored."

"Then its settled, a single round of chess; no conditions whatsoever."

As a replacement for the missing rook piece, Kagami brought out a five hundred yen coin from her purse and placed it on the blank space where the rook was supposed to be positioned. The other 31 pieces were set to their respective places. Kagami made her move first with one of the pawns—two steps forward. She may not play the game frequently but she knows the rules of the mind-testing game. She believed that her life was safe and sound. It was a game to pass the time while waiting, hopefully, for her knight in shining armor.

Back in the metropolis, Takashi finally gave up the solo rescue mission and asked the police for help. He felt fully responsible for letting his brother take off with Kagami in her grasp. He was ready to take any punishment for his carelessness. Soon afterwards, the police contacted thru radio, several available cruisers within the vicinity to conduct a search operation. The police even contacted the Hiiragi household in Saitama. Inori was the first family member to be notified of the event; and the word spread like wildfire among the family members (except Tsukasa because she was in her room the whole day). The police also notified the Takara residence; and Miyuki couldn't help crying. However, the ones aforementioned weren't the only ones notified of the crime. Miyuki contacted Konata and told everything, which she relayed the information to her cousin Yui who happened to be a police officer as well. Takashi felt like he had to do the hara-kiri—something that the shameful have done to uphold their honor and to rid of the disgrace they set upon their clan by shedding blood.

It only took half-an-hour to locate people who actually had a lead to his brother's whereabouts: the two boys who were with him.

"Yes! Those are the boys!" Takashi exclaimed.

"Damn it!" One of them complained.

"Where is Kagami? Tell me!"

"Do you think extracting information from us is going to be THAT easy?"

"It's not only me who's affected. Hundreds of people are now informed of this…even your families."

"Why don't you just give the girl to him? Maybe you can end your dispute peacefully."

"A person's life is not a plaything! You remember that!"

"Okay, okay dude, chill. We brought her to a sea cottage about an hour from here. But it might be too late to stop him; he might have already brought her to a different location."

"No, I know my brother. He's so angry with me; he won't bog down without seeing me for a duel. Take me there!"

"Suit yourself."

The two fugitives were loaded into a police cruiser while Takashi went inside a different cruiser. With a group of four police cruisers, they set out to wherever the fugitives will lead them. Despite their agreement to take him to Kagami and his brother, Takashi still felt something was not right—as if they were the prey rather than the predator. Nevertheless, the time was not for worrying about traps. It all started with him and everything's going to end with him.

Back in the hut, both players already have an equal number of chess pieces outside the borders of the chessboard. A few pieces still remained in a bloodless yet intense war on the surface of solid wood. They're both amateurs at the game so the result is as expected—a close duel. Most of the time, they would make serious eye contact with one another; both thinking of their opponent's next move. Sano's turn involved moving the king behind the safety of the last of his troops. Despite his situation, he was determined to finish the game before sundown with him as the emerging victor; with still some time to spare for a brother-to-brother showdown wielding wooden swords.

Suddenly he was pushed into a shadow of epiphany: the position of the chess pieces were the same as the position of the chess pieces when he battled his brother several years ago.

"(This setting…no, it must be a coincidence.)"

Then another realization hit him. His move with the king was the same mistake that he made several years ago with his brother as the opponent.

"(Shoot!)"

He looked at Kagami who slowly moved her surviving queen a few squares away from her opponent's king. The opponent's king, boxed in by his own troops and two enemy figures, had nowhere to go anymore.

"Checkmate."

Inside, he felt staggered and angry for losing. The fact that the entirety of the battle was a reincarnation of his last game of chess with his brother was absolutely inevitable. It was as if he was destroyed again by a different person who coincidentally played like Takashi.

"You play well for a beginner. Congratulations." He commended his opponent.

Still, praises won't let him off the hook; not even by a long shot. Sounds of sirens were heard from miles away. It was very soft at first but it gradually grew over the next few minutes after 4:30. Worse, as they grew loud enough to be normally audible, he caught the sight of a group of police cruisers speeding along the road and stopping in front of the hut. With a dense jungle behind the hut and a blockade of cruisers preventing his escape to the beach, it was fairly obvious that his only option was to surrender and be judged by the hammers of justice. Among the police force sent on a rescue situation, he caught the sight of his brother running towards the hut entrance and shouting his demands.

"Sano, it's over! Release Kagami-san and we can end all of this peacefully!"

"Do you think I'll give her up that easy? I'm not going down without a fight!" The surrounded fugitive responded. "I challenge you to a sudden death kendo match!"

"This is no time to go samurai! Haven't you thought about what Miyuki is feeling right now?"

"I'm no longer your brother. I'm no longer a part of the family. Therefore, anything that concerns you or your relatives means nothing to me."

"If I win, you'll release Kagami from your custody and you'll turn over to the authorities."

"Agreed; but if I win, you'll revoke your crown of succession to the family company and move it to me."

"You got a deal. Just uphold your word."

"Don't take me for somebody stupid."

The police swarmed the open field in front of the hut and secured every possible escape route for the fugitive at large. Kagami stayed on the porch, helpless to stop the fight of brother against brother. Even with a wooden sword (especially if broken), a splint or two is enough to cut through their skin. The fight will determine the deserving one for a heart tormented between two outside forces.

_Police surround a deserted hut just by the coastal road just recently where a peculiar hostage situation is currently taking place. The fugitive is known as Hajime Sano, one of the twin sons of the president of the Hajime Computer Company. He now faces his twin brother Hajime Takashi in a negotiating effort to release his brother's captive by the name of Hiiragi Kagami. According to the police currently in the scene of the crime, the brothers will have a kendo match to determine who is deserving of the hostage. Hajime Takashi strongly pleaded to the police to not interfere in the match; since this is a fight of brother against brother. The news crew tried to get the side of one of the hostage's friends and a relative of the twin brothers: Miyuki Takara, but she refused to give any opinion at this moment. __More updates on the peculiar hostage crisis will continue. _

TO BE CONTINUED


	15. Cloudburst

_Chapter 14: Cloudburst_

A certain somebody was sipping a cup of coffee in a nearby coffee shop in the metropolis. By the way he was dressed: black overcoat and slacks with a striped necktie dangling from the white polo collar inside, he was a businessman. He was not very young anymore; yet his appearance denied the fact that he was a senior citizen. He was able to watch the news through the use of his cellular phone which allowed live TV broadcast. He saw on the small screen of his mobile phone an aerial view of the crime that was happening as he sipped. The kendo match had already started and both gave out their 100 at the very start. The police had the entire vicinity surrounded just in case the negotiator lost the battle. He seemed to be waiting for someone to come in the spot where he sat right now. When he had finished his cup of coffee, Miyuki appeared just behind him.

"Here I am, as you asked, uncle." She said.

"Very well then, shall we get going?" The man asked.

"Yes."

"I'm going to give those two a piece of my mind."

Together, they boarded a black limousine waiting just in front of the coffee shop. He told the driver their destination; the driver complied. Along the way, Miyuki and her uncle talked about the ongoing incident.

"I didn't believe he would do such a thing." Miyuki said. "And what's even worse, he used my best friend as his hostage."

"I too feel sympathetic since those boys are my responsibility." Her uncle responded. "They let their personal feelings get in their way."

"All I wanted was a happy day for him and Kagami-san. Today is a special day for them. But then he had to ruin it all."

"Avoid holding a grudge, dear. It's senseless to change the past. All we can do now is hope for them to avoid having a terrible future."

"I feel responsible for Kagami-san. She had no idea that this was coming."

"I guess by now her parents have been informed of the ongoing incident. The possibilities are dreadful. Your friend and Takashi might be forbidden to meet anymore after what just happened."

"Not only her parents, uncle. Her friends also know about it."

"This is not good for the image of the family company. I'll have no choice but to look for another successor."

"Uncle…but that's like saying that you have no son capable of running your firm."

"Me…have a son? I'm renouncing all of that starting now."

"Please uncle, give them another chance. Everybody can change for the better."

"They were given plenty of time to change. They wasted it on their differences between one another. It's absurd."

Meanwhile in Saitama, Konata spoke with her cousin Yui on the phone. She told everything linked to the hostage situation happening right now outside the metropolis. Unfortunately, she was of no help at all.

"I wish I can help you, Konata. But I'm in the traffic department. I'll be fired if I went AWOL on the job."

"I see…sorry to have taken your time."

"Don't worry…your friend will be okay."

A saddened Konata reentered the dining room where her father and her new mother stood worried while they left the TV on which was tuned to the latest update on the scene of the crime. By now, the news would have reached the entire nation from top to bottom; from Southern Kuril to Ryukyu. It meant that she and her parents weren't the only ones worried about Kagami's state. The whole world was now watching the actual bout of two passionate men fighting for their right to the heart of the goddess. While most of them were rooting for Takashi, some were cheering for Sano; as if this was a fight with money running on the game. Most of the viewers were even too worried to cheer for either side because they were more concerned on the poor girl who was dragged to this unexpected event. Konata wanted to be there for Kagami, despite the fact that she always teases her, unfortunately the issue on motherhood was still far from over.

"Konata, go to her." Souijiro suggested.

"But dad…" Konata hesitantly replied.

"The problem can wait. Right now your friend needs you."

"Dad…okay, I'll go."

Inside the Hiiragi household, everybody was tuned in to the live feed of the ongoing match between two men. The mother couldn't bear watching siblings hurt each other in a one-hit death match. She pleaded that he release her daughter before anything bad happens. Even the efforts of comforting done by her husband proved fruitless. Tsukasa was still locked up in her room, crying and sobbing for hours. It had been a couple of hours since she accidentally dropped a plate on the floor which, according to her, signified an ominous presence of an unfortunate event. Despite the fact that crying over spilled milk would be useless, the sorrowful burden she carried since noon still pressed on. Just as soon as she seemed to be ready to jump out of the window or execute hara-kiri, the first child Inori immediately hugged her tight.

"No, don't commit suicide! You'll be more miserable that way!" Inori said, weeping.

"Onee-san…Kagami onee-san is in danger! I can't take it anymore!" Tsukasa replied.

"Don't say that! We'll all get through this. I promise you."

"Onee-san…I want my onee-san…please!"

"Don't cry Tsukasa. We will get through this. Everything will turn out for the better."

0

Everything started with the appearance of Hajime Takashi, a senior at Ryouou High School. Since childhood, he had admired Hiiragi Kagami but from behind the shadows. During those times, he feared embarrassment the most; thus, his confession which was supposed to be set before his entry into middle school was utterly delayed. Takashi got his chance during his senior years in the campus. To prove his word being the real deal, he brought a bouquet of flowers just for her. Seeing that she was still confused on his sudden declaration, he gave Kagami three days to think about what he had just said. Her final decision would be determined in their little meeting in Tokyo Tower. Also, during those three days, Kagami faced terrible ordeals—challenges that put families and friends to the ultimate test. In the first of the three days, the power of her mind was tested by means of putting it in the state of confusion. In short, she had no direct answer for him; plus, three days wouldn't be enough to make a choice that would make or break her destiny and her life. The second day was the test of the will to live. Coincidentally, the second day was the day when the monsoon season waged a full-scale downpour into the urban area. Not only that, thunderstorms loomed over the town, endangering anything that was drenched in the rain or dry. Kagami had fallen victim to the full blast of a lightning strike in the rooftop of the school. Again, it tested the extent of the bonds of everybody close to her. Everybody in her class were worried and desired to be with her until her full recovery. Only three people volunteered to stay with her as the rest of the pack went home to safety. A small flicker of hope sparked and eventually they were rescued. The third day was the preparation; this time, she had everybody on her side: friends and family not to mention dead relatives of friends. During this day, Kagami was exposed to an actual danger of sexual pleasure as demonstrated by Konata. It didn't serve only as a lesson but also as a warning for it was very difficult to spot a wolf in sheep's clothing. In addition to that, Konata's late mother Kanata appeared before Kagami; only to deliver a certain message about the capabilities of temptation as a manipulative force in exercising devious acts—simply speaking: temptation can convince a person to engage in sexual pleasure. After three days of being subjected to deadly obstacles and lessons in life, she was reborn as a person who would go out and make a stand.

All that hard work made by the people who backed her up until the very end actually paid off. Both of them had an enjoyable noon passing by culture-rich temples, premium shops with hefty price tags on display, and not to mention traditional restaurants serving traditional food. They were blessed to have each other to keep company. Finally, they ascended to the sky-high view deck of Tokyo Tower where Kagami was supposed to either agree or disagree to become somebody's girlfriend; with the view of the metropolis as the audience. Then the inevitable came and ruined everything—jealousy. It was the force that inspired Hajime Sano's revenge against his twin brother simply carrying the reason of sibling superiority. Kagami was taken away from Takashi; acting on what Sano thought was the right thing to do. Now that the whole nation from Southern Kuril to Ryukyu is watching the hostage situation with all eyes and ears on everybody's TV sets, the die has been cast…the result of the cast cannot be undone anymore.

So…will everything end like this? Did the hard work that Kagami's family and friends have spent during the days of preparation were a complete waste of time? Will dignity be still restored to its proper form? More importantly, will this be the end of a week-long relationship between a boy on the quest for love and a girl on the quest for romance?

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" Sano yelled, struggling to turn the tide in his favor. "You always had it in you: knowledge, kindness…what did I even do to be forsaken…to be a hollow shell?"

"What are you talking about?" Takashi replied. "I never took your glory away. I never planned to do so!"

"Liar; you just did…several years ago! I was next in line to succeed dad in the company. But instead, he picked you over me! Then you got the nerve to make Kagami fall in love with you?"

"What do you mean? It was never my plan to make her fall in love with me! That would be depriving her freedom of choice! You're the one who has that kind of nerve! You forced her to come with you to this very spot. That's kidnapping—and it's a crime!"

"You be quiet! Your reasoning has interfered with my affairs for the last time!"

"Sano, don't be so stubborn! I don't know why we need to fight! I never said anything about you being inferior."

Despite Takashi's defensive attempts, he was knocked down by Sano's outrage. He was about to go for the kill when all of a sudden…

"Stop this nonsense, the both of you!"

The fight was completely halted by the power of words—words coming out of the mouth of a formally-attired man standing before them with Miyuki beside him.

"D-Dad…!"

"You two have disgraced the family honor! If everything still ran under the influence of the Bushido, I would have you commit suicide. What do you have to say for yourselves?"

The man then faced Sano first. "Sano, all my life I have never forsaken you. I respect your skills in business administration to be first-class. But like I said before, I did it for our very survival. Who will continue on the legacy if both of you are drenched in the waters of rage? I never mocked your abilities and your personality. But instead, you decided to fight for your right. And even worse, you fought with the wrong ideals!"

Afterwards, he faced Takashi. "Takashi, you also face the same burden as your brother. Your appearance to the media has embarrassed our family and not to mention our company. To be honest, I'm even too ashamed to appear before the media. I don't know how I will explain this to everyone. I decided to move the crown of succession to somebody else. I don't know how you will live your life after this and after I die. Reflect on your mistakes and avoid doing the same ones in the future."

After his speech, the police moved in to finally arrest Sano, charged guilty of kidnapping and was taken inside one of the police cruisers with handcuffs binding his arms. Kagami slowly went down the stairs of the hut and approached Takashi. But it wasn't the look he had expected after being rescued.

"Kagami-san, I—"

In a stunning turn of events, Kagami let out a forceful slap against Takashi's right cheek.

"Stay away from me from now on." She said subtly but with anger building inside her.

"I know I've been such a jerk. I'm sorry."

"You two used me as a prize. You took me for a trophy."

"Kagami-san, it's not like that."

"We're done talking. Don't look for me anymore."

Kagami walked right past him as if he was a complete stranger to him. At the same time, Kuroi-sensei's car arrived at the scene. Konata hurried outside the car to meet up with the infuriated girl. As the place was devoid of police cruisers, all of them went home; each with a heavy, melancholic heart.

END OF ACT III

TO BE CONTINUED

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**Sequel to the well-acclaimed story:**

"Kagami in the Rain 2: Desolation"

Coming soon…


	16. Barrage

_Chapter 15: Barrage_

_"After hours into the fray, police were able to apprehend the fugitive by the name of Hajime Sano, one of the HCC president's twin sons, __along with two of his close pals also __convicted of kidnapping. After a negotiation made by the CEO himself, his sons settled down; ending the fight that could've bruised both body and soul. The victim, Hiiragi Kagami, was taken to safety back to her family in Saitama Prefecture by one of her best friends. Neither the CEO nor the girl who was with him earlier wanted to give out their opinion regarding the incident. He did assure that justice will determine the fate of one of his twin sons. __He also promised the Hiiragi family compensation for the moral damages done to the victim__ in the form of cash__. For more details about the incident, watch the 9:00 news tonight."_

"Whew!" Konata breathed easy. "For a minute there, I thought that man was going to molest you, Kagamin. It's a good thing I taught that very important lesson."

Her infuriated friend lay silent as she looked at the blue sea and the orange sky.

"Izumi, I think now's not a good time to talk." Kuroi-sensei suggested.

For the entire trip back to Saitama, all of them were as silent as a library. It was one of the situations wherein Konata's hyperactivity was downright useless. For now, nothing could up her friend's spirit; not after the chain of events that occurred for several hours and his cold action towards Takashi. Although her tormentor was behind bars, her heart felt that it was still behind bars—caged and locked up from the outside world. She carried an insanely heavy burden on her back and she still had a long way to go before the next town. She thought of many things on the way home. If it weren't for him, the two boys who were with him could've done their thing, destroying her morale in the process. Still, one good deed wasn't enough to atone for the heaviness of his conviction. Now that the incident had already become a nationwide disturbance, she anticipated that her family was well-informed of the occurrence. The date wasn't cancelled but cut short. The last event of the day which was supposed to be a romantic dinner for two at the Takara residence was suspended in association of this event. The beautiful day that she had imagined had turned into the worst nightmare she had ever experienced in real life. No, it was more than a nightmare—it was hell on earth.

For her, to be fought over blood for blood and life for life felt very wrong. She was a trophy on display, waiting for the last man standing to grab her and go. Foremost of all, life wasn't a lottery prize; she knew that very well. Human life was as fragile as glass and irreplaceable as an old yet rare artifact. When the brothers Hajime engaged in a non-lethal yet bruising battle, they already made a crack in the glass—a small crack with devastating moral effects. The remaining ways of peaceful negotiation would've worked better than a one-on-one fight but the challenger insisted that the will to fight was necessary in loving somebody. While Sano is completely locked up behind bars, Takashi couldn't stop rubbing the side of his face hit by Kagami's palm. It stung more than the sting of a bee; it hurt more than words could ever do. Most of all, it came from the girl she admired since his childhood. Miyuki, although the life-threatening circumstance ended without a loss of life, still felt anxious and uneasy. If there was anything deafening aside from noise it was silence. When the limousine arrived in front of the Takara residence, they didn't say anything—not even a warm goodbye. The old man had something in his mind waiting to be conveyed at the right time.

"Before I forget Takashi, I need you to come with me to America after the semester."

"But I thought you don't need me to succeed your place." Takashi said.

"Don't get the wrong idea. It's the only way to put an end to your brother's uncontrollable rage. If you feel like taking responsibility for your actions, then come with me abroad to clear the family name off the embarrassment."

"But what about—"

"Didn't I make myself clear a while ago? Come with me if you want to clear your name; unless you value romance over riches."

"I…don't know what to say."

"The semester ends in a couple of days. Use that time to decide. Don't let me down this time. You've put this family in much strain too much—both you and your brother."

The old man and the limousine left the residence shortly afterwards. Takashi suddenly turned to Miyuki and placed his hands at her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Miyuki. I broke my promise." Eventually, he went inside the house, carrying his heavy and painful burden.

Within the limits of the town of Washimiya, the Hiiragi household finally settled down after hours of helplessly watching the live coverage of the hostage crisis that rumbled an entire nation from top to bottom. They also received word that Kagami is safe and sound and on her way back home. She couldn't be blamed for what had happened outside their reach. She was merely forced into submission by somebody's will. When Kuroi-sensei's car arrived, Kagami's mother came out running and hugged tight.

"I'm glad that you're safe, Kagami." She cried tears of joy. "I would blame myself if you were not here in my arms."

"That good for nothing jerk…!" An enraged Matsuri replied. "For once, I expected that she would be in good hands."

"Oh Konata-chan, I can't think of anything to repay your kindness." The mother bowed down in front of Kagami's rescuers. "Thank you very much."

"There's no need for a reward." Konata replied humbly. "I'm also deeply saddened by the turn of events."

The night was serene and quiet. Nobody rejoiced but nobody wailed in agony. Nobody spoke about the incident or the Hajime brothers. Nobody even dared to bring it up. Nobody took proper action to restore her cheerful smile back. They all pleaded on one force that was undeniable: time.

The next day, torrential rains returned to the vicinity. Everything was once again drenched in water, although thunderstorms were absent. It seemed like a normal rainy school day for Kagami and the rest of her buddies. There were only a few days remaining before the end of the semester; only a few days before the parting of ways. She dressed up in her school uniform and hurried down the stairs for breakfast. Instead of eating a full meal that was served in front of her, she only consumed two pieces of toast before leaving the house with Tsukasa. It seemed to be a normal day for all, as if nothing significant ever happened.

Upon arriving at school a train and bus ride later, everything seemed normal. Kagami's classmates greeted her like the usual instead of questioning her about the nationwide crisis. They all wanted to forget that the hostage situation yesterday even happened. It was hard for them to do because it had become a part of their past. Everybody acted like the ordinary; she's the only one who was out of the ordinary.

"Hey Hiiragi, let's have another wonderful day!" Misao approached her as lively as ever.

Kagami answered back with a slight nod.

"Ho, ho, ho, the scary monster lies dormant this morning."

"Misa-chan, I don't think that's such a good idea." Ayano said fearfully.

"Don't worry; she won't even lay a single finger to hurt me."

"But she..."

Ayano couldn't remind both of them of the crisis yesterday. Her friend already had a bad Sunday. She couldn't afford to make it any worse today than yesterday. Nevertheless, it was a wise move. Kagami suddenly stood up and looked at the time around her wrist. There was still plenty of time before the first period. She left the classroom without a moment's notice.

"Huh? Where is Hiiragi-chan going?" Ayano asked.

"Probably to the restroom…" Misao laughed loudly.

Correction, she wasn't heading for the little girls' room. In fact, she climbed to the next floor where all the seniors' classrooms were situated. It felt very different when one was in the corridor of upperclassmen. With a lot of free time in their hands before their respective first periods, they hang out by the corridor windows and watched the rain shower down on the damp ground. The reason was clear: Takashi's presence. She approached a girl from a certain class and asked his whereabouts with the utmost respect.

"Ah, Hajime-kun…? Sorry but I haven't seen him yet. I tried calling him but he wouldn't answer his phone."

"I see…thank you very much." Kagami replied and bowed down.

"I'm sorry if I can't be of any help."

A complete failure, she went back down to her own territory and made it back to her classroom just in time for the first period. Her mood today was way even worse compared to last week. She felt like dying right away not only for being a prize in a duel to the death but also for embarrassing her family who was now the talk of the town in complete secrecy. She couldn't bear any more pain and needed to be silenced immediately—before Takashi could even stop her. She was trapped in a barrage of suffering raining down around her; a thick barrage that could be broken from the outside. But with Takashi out of her picture, who would be strong enough to break through this formidable wall? Who has the power to rescue a damsel still in distress?

During lunchtime in Konata's class, Kagami never came to eat lunch together with her best friends. It wasn't unusual but if it had something to do with the crisis yesterday, then it was otherwise.

"Onee-san hasn't spoken to me since this morning." Tsukasa said worryingly. "I can't have a big sister like that."

"I feel terribly responsible for Kagami-san since her date was my cousin." Miyuki apologized. "I'm really sorry."

"This is a very unique setting." Konata replied. "It doesn't happen much in the anime or manga. It's more on soap operas."

"Soap operas…?"

"You mean those dramas of love and life?"

"Yup, the one and only…and if I can remember correctly in one soap opera, the boy and girl got back together in the end."

"But how did they do it?"

"It's always that setting in most of the soap operas on TV but it will be very hard to do in real life."

"Ah but Miyuki-san, I have a plan on how we can put one and one together again."

"Really…? How…?"

"Please tell us, Izumi-san."

"I'll need more manpower if I'm to execute Operation: Kagami's Flag 2."

"Then we're counting on you, Kona-chan."

"We'll help in anyway possible, Izumi-san."

"Okay then we will start tomorrow."

TO BE CONTINUED

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A full year has passed…new characters…new settings…new challenges…what will be destiny's judgment on a forbidden love?

Why does it feel different again when it's…?

**Kagami in the Rain 2: Desolation**

Expected Date of Release: December 2007/January 2008


	17. Rainbow

_Chapter 16: __Rainbow_

Several days have passed…several days of void…there came no sign of Takashi's presence in the campus. He didn't show up in school for the past few days after the hostage crisis that almost took the life out of his love. He didn't answer any calls made by either relative or friend. He would glance at the screen of his phone and hang up momentarily. He wouldn't eat a single bite of his meal and would usually say in front of mother and daughter his sensation of grief had satisfied his hunger. Modern science says that a man can live for a week without food and three days without water. For breakfast, he had water; for lunch, he had water; and for dinner, he escaped dehydration by water—not a single piece of solid food passed through his mouth and saliva. Grief had completely taken over his body along with regret and sorrow. During these past several days, he had grown weak and weary because of his foolishness to refuse to eat. He spent a whole day in his room, hoping that rest was the cure for his illness. It only got worse today; he was brought to the hospital where the doctor examined his body by running some tests. Afterwards, Takashi was laid to rest in a mobile bed and taken upstairs to his ward on the 3rd floor. Considering a long thin tube full of dextrose running down towards his wrist, he was in terrible shape. Doctors may have a cure for his terrible illness but even medical science cannot mend a broken heart. The only one capable of doing such an impossible task for medical science is the one responsible for breaking his resolve.

"The doctor said you need to eat to regain your strength." Miyuki said to him inside room 3177.

"I feel too terrible to eat right now." Takashi stubbornly refused her advice.

"That's why you need to eat something."

"I told you, I'm not hungry. I get pounds of grief filling up my belly all the time."

"I know you want to change the past, but it can't be done. Don't think that this is the end of everything."

"You don't know how much I've spent planning the perfect day for her to come up with an answer; only to be ruined by my jealous brother."

Then, Miyuki realized enough is enough.

"Well, you also have no idea how much I've spent suffering!" She quickly burst into tears and scurried outside crying.

"Miyuki, wait—!"

His terrible condition led the both of them to terrible states of mind. As long as one can never get over the past, things from this point forward will be even worse than before. He has his brother to blame for ruining such a good day because of his jealousy and anger towards him; however he can only blame himself for failure of preventing the inevitable from happening. Why it happened despite his eagerness didn't matter to him; more on the aftermath of the gale. He felt even more terrible when he made Miyuki cry. Upon closer analysis, he realized that she was right: what's done is done. He could only move forward to a better tomorrow. The stinging pain from Kagami's slap was gone; but the scar has been embedded in his memory. Not only did he fail to uphold his promise to his beloved cousin and put shame in the family name, but he also destroyed Kagami's fragile heart. He had so many sins to atone for; but the memory of those sins cannot be erased but only forgotten. If he was given one chance to change the stream of time, that incident would be his answer…that is if it was really possible.

After what had occurred, he didn't have the guts to face Kagami ever again. In fact, he was a disgrace in front of her; fighting his jealous sibling for the right over her heart. Takashi's heart wasn't at the right place during that time. He mistook her for a prize to be won in a competition; something that was absurd and downright bizarre. There was never a clear winner because their father had arrived and put an end to a meaningless bout. They risked themselves embarrassed over the media from the sky and not to mention the cops who were present at the scene of the crime. He could still remember the exact dialogue during that day.

_"__Kagami__-san, I—" _

_"Stay away from me from now on." She said subtly but with anger building inside her. _

_"I know I've been such a jerk. I'm sorry."_

_"You two used me as a prize. You took me for a trophy."_

_"__Kagami__-san, it's not like that."_

_"We're done talking. Don't look for me anymore." _

The last line of the short dialogue echoed inside his head. He started thinking of ways to make it up for his foolish actions. He turned his attention in turning on the TV to get some inspiration. It was tuned to a documentary on white light and prisms. As white light passed through the prism block, the colors of the spectrum appeared on the other side. Then the scene turned from a black room to the environment drenched in rain. The sun shone and a rainbow formed across the wet rainforest.

_The raindrops act like the prism block. They split white light into seven different colors. This is why a rainbow is formed after the precipitation stage and when the sun shines in the sky. _

"Man, what a beautiful rainbow." He muttered to himself. "I should've said that to her in the first place."

He continued drawing inspiration from the rainbow. After a few minutes, the right idea hit him.

"That's it!" He then scanned channel after channel for a weather update for the next five days.

_For the past 24 hours, there haven't been signs of a formation of a tropical storm over in the Pacific. Nevertheless, winds from the south will continue to bring __partly cloudy to cloudy skies with rain showers and thunderstorms across the Honshu mainland. Yesterday, we've seen a break in the bad __weather; and according to this five-day weather chart, the possibility of sunshine can be seen on Wednesday which is only a week before the official end of the semester for students around the country. _

He was amazed by a sudden turn of events. He had already formulated the perfect idea to clear his name and regain the trust of his beloved once again.

"Miyuki, come here for a minute!" He cried in excitement but there was no answer considering the long silence. That excitement quickly turned to disappointment. "Hmm…she must've gone home already."

Meanwhile in the Hiiragi household, Kagami just arrived home from school with Tsukasa. Everything seemed normal, looked normal, smelled normal, and it even tasted normal—the house was too normal. Their mother was preparing dinner in the kitchen as the smell of tonight's dinner emanated across the house. Inori and Matsuri were on the television, watching a detective show where justice and corruption confronted one another on the edge of the cliff by the sea. They hurried to their rooms to finish their homework for tomorrow and hopefully they could watch the game show the entire family liked. In the aftermath of the crisis, everybody returned to their normal lives—as if nothing terrible happened.

"Kagami, come here for a minute." Her mother called from downstairs; in which Kagami complied.

A stairway and few steps to the kitchen later, she and her mother had a personal talk. The subject was fairly obvious.

"I want to talk to you something…if I'm not interrupting your study period." The mother said.

"It's okay, mother. Today's homework is very short anyway." Kagami replied.

"I want you to hear a tale of mine back in my college days before I met your father."

_Before I met your father, I too was in love with another person—a foreigner. He was very nice and on top of that very intelligent. Everyday we would meet under the shade of the cherry blossom tree and enjoy the scenery of the flowing stream by the banks. We had so much in common; I almost ended up marrying him rather than your father. Then, one __fateful __rainy day…_

_"Please, stop it!" I yelled in front of two men fighting with wooden swords; one of them the man I first loved. "Don't do this!"_

_"__Stop this foolishness before it's too late!" He said to his opponent. _

_"I'll stop when you surrender Miki to me!" The latter replied. "Aren't you satisfied with what you have: money, fame, glory? What good would greed do to you anyway?"_

_"I'm not being greedy. How should I know that you're also in love with her?"_

_"The fact that dad chose you over me…is unacceptable! I'm the rightful heir to the company—I should be the one sitting in his seat!__ But now that everything's lost to me, I only have her to keep my spirits up…only to see that she already belongs to you."_

_"You're making a fool out of yourself! Cease this nonsense!"_

_"Never, I'll even fight with my blood if I have to!"_

_The rain wouldn't stop, so did the fighting. Both of them were severely bruised and weary. Still, their desire to keep on fighting burned up. I was in no position to stop them; I watched them helplessly from a distance until one side was completely down for the count. The water that flowed from the sides of my face was more than rain; they were teardrops from my eyes. The feeling was like being stabbed in the back by some stranger. Before you know it, all was lost. Eventually, my first love emerged victoriously and as agreed upon, he has the right to my love. But it didn't feel like victory at all. Both of them took me for a mere trophy—playing with my life like a game of tug-of-war. _

_"I won…" He said to me confidently. "It's all over."_

_Then, I did the unthinkable: I slapped him hard with every bit of resentment that built up over time. On top of that, I was crying like I've never cried before in my entire lifetime. _

_"You're right, it's all over." Those were my final words to him and left him in the rain. Eventually, I met your father; we graduated__from college, got married, and gave birth to the four of you. During the commencement exercises, I noticed that my ex-first love was absent from the occasion. During that time, it had been several months since the fighting. That's when I found out that he stabbed himself with a katana in his room, holding a wallet-size picture of me. I felt like, no, I WAS responsible for his death. I shattered his hopes and deprived him of his life. _

_He was a good man with a reasonable sense of character. In the end, he died all because of me. _

When the narration ended, nobody cried but the both of them felt a heavy sensation bearing weight on them like gravity. In a practical view, anyone would cry a river especially if the listeners were mostly or all girls. Kagami had realized that her mother had done the same…and the outcome could be the same as well.

_"__Kagami__-san, I—" _

_"Stay away from me from now on." She said subtly but with anger building inside her. _

_"I know I've been such a jerk. I'm sorry."_

_"You two used me as a prize. You took me for a trophy."_

_"__Kagami__-san, it's not like that."_

_"We're done talking. Don't look for me anymore." _

"You slapped him, am I right?" Her mother asked.

Kagami had no choice but to fess up since her mother saw through her. "Yes."

"It's never too late to apologize. Say sorry sincerely and it will be all over."

"I cannot be sincere anymore to that man. I was dragged into trouble and was almost molested by his brother's lackeys."

"I know it's hard to offer an apology. It's going to be harder if you let it stay for too long. In fact, by the time you say sorry, you might be too late."

"Do you think he'll forgive me?"

"Absolutely, Kagami…go to the phone and call Miyuki-chan."

She had her set of doubts clouding her judgment at first. She wasn't ready to forgive someone who took her for an inanimate prized possession. The rain poured heavier than before as if the nearby river was going to overflow. At the exact moment the thunder roared, she stood up and hurried to the telephone. From that point onward, she spun the circle corresponding to the correct numbers of Miyuki's telephone at home. Her call was immediately answered by Miyuki herself…only this time, her voice wasn't what she expected of a mere phone call.

"Hello?"

"Miyuki…? Why are you crying?"

"It's my cousin…he…he's been sent to the ICU (Intensive Care Unit; a special room in the hospital for patients at critical state)."

"ICU?!"

TO BE CONTINUED

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A new girl is coming to town…and she's challenging Kagami to one of the greatest games destiny has ever made…rivalry.

Meet Yamamoto Yakumo on…

**"****Kagami**** in the Rain 2: Desolation"**

01/2008


	18. Flood

_Chapter 17: Flood_

"ICU…? Are you saying he's hospitalized?" Kagami couldn't help but ask apprehensively.

"He didn't eat anything for several days which made him weak." Miyuki explained, sobbing. "He was all grumpy towards me, complaining about the incident last Sunday. At first, he was in his ward slowly recovering from fatigue. But then he started growing weary again abnormally. The doctor had to put him in an ICU for observation. Kagami-san, I can't take this anymore! You're the only one who can talk some sense to my cousin. Please, save my cousin!"

It happened almost exactly what her mother had told her in the story. Others would call it a mere coincidence; but for Kagami, it was more than a coincidence—the past has returned from the dead to wreak havoc on her life. Who would've known that a single, painful slap could yield disastrous results? Who would've known that one person was capable enough of getting all the lines tangled up? Who would've known that the person responsible, of all people, was the one who created everything from square one? How would she answer? Hajime [Takashi has no more will to live. He had tried everything in his power to ask Kagami's hand in the name of love; but he failed. She could either reply with a simple yes or no. Then again either one would yield life-changing results. Destiny is asking her a question that can spell life or death for him depending on her response. She was holding a line of fate from the top of the cliff with Hajime dangling for his life at the other end of the line. Say yes and she pulls him out; say no and she'll let go, sending him into a plunge of demise. Kagami had faced several of these questions in the past; none of them could be even compared to this one.

"Miyuki…"

"Kagami-san, what is it?"

"Tell him this…"

"Okay."

"I don't want to see his pathetic face ever again."

Miyuki gasped in shock as she heard those alarming words. She had never thought that her best friend would eventually abandon her especially now when the affected ones are in a state of crisis. Her jaw shook slightly and her feet trembled so violently; she couldn't keep standing for long. Tears flood her eyes as soon as she heard the terrible statement that sealed Hajime's fate for sure.

"Kagami-san…how could you…?" Miyuki immediately hung up but not in a forceful manner. Kagami returned to her mother waiting in the kitchen, saying that it was a friend of hers asking on how to dump a boy. Her mother refused to believe her explanation.

"Why did you do that?" She asked worryingly.

"I won't be held responsible if he dies. It's his doing anyway." Kagami attested.

"You may be right. But in the end you'll feel guilty about it."

"No I won't, mother."

"Yes, you will. I can see it in your eyes. You want to go there but you simply can't because of the foolishness he has done to hurt you."

"Maybe it's for the best. He'll learn not to mess with a girl's fragile heart."

"Kagami," Her mother placed her arms on top of her shoulders. "I know you have every right to be angry at someone for taking you for a fool. But a fool or not, you should learn to forgive and forget. If you do that, every problematic detail will be laid to rest. Do you understand?"

"Then what should I do?" Kagami became under pressure…intense pressure.

"Make a choice."

It was a choice that she would have to make without the assistance of time since time was running out; and obviously there was none left to waste for thinking about it. At that time, Kagami thought of nothing but anger towards him: the one who took her for a complete fool; but amidst of all that anger building up inside of her, a part of it was still full of regret. She may never get the chance to talk to him ever again for his life is hanging on the balance.

Meanwhile, Miyuki hurried back to the hospital to check on her cousin's condition inside the proximity of the Intensive Care Unit. There was more medical equipment than before in the ward. He was already wearing a respirator which pumped up and down for a fresh supply of breathable oxygen. While she watched her brother from the glass pane, a doctor from the room came out and talked to her.

"Takara-san, I presume?" He asked honorably.

"Um, yes, that's me."

"I'm Dr. Tachibana, Hajime-san's doctor. I believe I have terrible news."

"What's the matter?"

"His body systems are beginning to shut down because of his refusal to take anything. If this continues, he's not going to make it."

"Isn't there anything you can do? I don't want him to…to…"

"Well, there is a way but it's too risky even for his state of health."

"Please, tell me."

"We recently have developed a very rare medicine stored in the lab that could compensate for the lack of food nutrients in his body for the duration of a whole day. That will buy him some time to ingest solid food for his recovery. However…"

"However…?"

"The medicine is so strong, that it could damage his organs if he doesn't eat anything within 24 hours. If the medicine spreads all over his body without any solid food to break down, he may not make it. The decision is up to you, Takara-san. For the time being, the life support system will buy you some time to think."

The doctor excused himself and left the premises. Miyuki knew that the medicine the doctor mentioned to her was the only way for Hajime to cheat death. Of course, she wanted to say yes and carry on with the injection of the medicine. But that decision, without Hajime complying with it, could yield disastrous results. The life support system attached to him can buy her some time but for how long? It may be the only thing that's keeping him alive. More importantly, his will to live is fading because of Kagami. With her refusal to talk some sense into him, he really believes that he doesn't have the strength to go on anymore.

It's very sudden that he turned from this critical state of health. In fact, moments ago, he was overjoyed after thinking of another way to clear his name and leave Kagami with a good impression of him by watching a documentary about rainbows. Practically, it would be impossible for him to lose the will to live after thinking of a great idea; unless a negative force completely demoralized him.

The force that completely demoralized him was another typhoon.

_The weather observatory in __Hachijo__ Island has detected a mass of swirling clouds forming over the Pacific near Iwo Jima. __Projecting its trajectory, it's going to hit the Japanese mainland in__ approximately__ three days, bringing massive amounts of rain and winds reaching up to 160 km/h. Chances of a break in the weather are likely impossible due to the incoming typhoon. The public is advised to prepare emergency rations and necessary equipment for the incoming typhoon which will remain in Japan's area of responsibility in a couple of days. More updates on the storm will continue. _

Regardless of the lethal effects of the only vial that could spare her cousin, Miyuki hurryingly followed Dr. Tachibana and made an ultimate decision—the most ultimate decision she has ever made in her entire lifetime: she allowed the incorporation of the remedy.

As Hajime fought for his very survival, Kagami fought for her very fate.

"Mother, I…I simply can't."

"Don't be discouraged by what others think. Only you can make the most discreet impression."

The rain intensified as the middle of the afternoon approached. More rainclouds formed up above the town. The azure sky was eventually covered by a mass of grey clouds bringing more rain than the past few days. They don't have thunderstorms with them but the relentless torrent was enough to scare the townspeople. The riverbanks sank underneath the force of the gushing rapids as it rose up until it terrified the nearby population. Emergency crewmen poured in tons of sandbags and lined up the riverbanks to stop the overflowing of the river. They all have the impression that the temporary barrier won't hold unless the rain stops. Proper officials called for a mass evacuation of the area around the river as the downpour gradually transformed into a rainstorm.

The Hiiragi family was one of the first to respond to the alarm.

"Take whatever you can carry." The head of the family yelled. "Seek higher ground in the temple grounds."

As the rest of the family members gathered their most important stuff, which included books; clothes; canned goods; cell phones etc., mother and Kagami stood in front of the door outside. On the other side of that door was the road to the hospital which was only a train ride away. Outside the house was a call for help—outside was a repentant soul waiting to be saved by the voice of his love. However she couldn't face him for her statement to Miyuki was very absolute. Every second spent on doubting was every minute of Hajime's life being taken away by cruel fate. A quick reaction wasn't optional but rather a necessity.

Then in a stunning turn of events, she put up a determined face—an expression that rent asunder the doubts and atrocities that clouded her mind after the crisis—no, not only after the crisis but from the day she was brought in the world of the living.

"Go to him, Kagami." Her mother whispered. "Settle your misunderstanding once and for all."

Without hesitation, she ran outside and made tracks towards the train station. She was so in a hurry, she forgot to wear any protection against the rain and the cold temperatures. In a matter of minutes after she went outside, Kagami was drenched in the rain.

"I don't care what happens to me. Please, let me make it to Hajime-senpai! Please…!"

TO BE CONTINUED


	19. Sky

_Chapter 18: Sky_

Kagami, wet in the continuous downpour, reached the train bound for Tokyo before it could even close its doors shut. At the last minute before the doors were completely shut, she was able to enter the densely-packed train bound for the capital. The train eventually rolled out from the station. All that running made her very exhausted. Worse, she was wet all over; so were her clothes. On top of that, the train is air-conditioned. At her state, a cold would be very likely of her. When the train pulled over to her destination, she hurryingly went out amidst the crowd of commuters. It was practical that in the case of an emergency, the patient would be brought to the nearest hospital which was several miles away from where she stood. Without any protection from the gushing rain, she ran as if her life depended on it and searched the hospital nearest to Miyuki's house. But it proved that the search would be difficult and time-consuming, considering that there wasn't only one hospital in Tokyo. Luckily, she bumped into Miyuki's mother who happened to be on her way to the right hospital.

"Ah, Kagami-chan, are you going to visit him too?" She said. "Then follow me."

As Kagami followed her towards the correct hospital, Miyuki was waiting by the main lobby of the building. She wasn't her joyful and happy usual self but quite the opposite: weariness and anxiety written all over her face as if she didn't get a minute of sleep. Miyuki explained everything after their arrival—the benefits and consequences of the medicine that would be administered to Hajime's bloodstream. They were in total shock.

"How can you do that without my consent, Miyuki?" Her mother said.

"I couldn't help it, mother." She was already on the verge of crying. "If we don't act soon, he's not going to make it."

"Miyuki…"

"I've never seen my cousins for a long time. I don't want this chance to fade away; not now, not ever."

Kagami placed her hands on top of Miyuki's shoulders and said: "Come on, it's very unusual for you to cry. If you really believe that he's going to be fine, then he will be fine."

"Kagami-san…" She replied in a soft tone. "You said you don't want to see him anymore."

"I've never been in love before, Miyuki. I was scared so I acted like a fool. I don't want to lose anybody just because of me. He can rest in peace later but now is not a good time."

It was a pretty blunt statement but it somehow gave hope to the hopeless. Miyuki felt like she was showered with a fresh batch of hope—a chance to right the wrong. They all watched from the window pane of the ICU as the doctors that surrounded him were preparing for the administration of the medicine. His doctor prepared a long needle and administered a small amount of the medicine inside. If everything goes well, Hajime will be given another chance to start anew—something that he truly desires after realizing his grave mistake. Before the process, he stepped out of the room to remind them one little detail.

"I must warn you, once the administration of the remedy is done, he will experience excruciating pain particularly within the chest area for a few minutes. This is the point where he will have to resist the pain because he hasn't eaten anything. When he gives in to the pain, the remedy will cause his internal cells to self-destruct. I'm going to ask you again: are you sure you want to go through this?"

Miyuki honestly answered: "If that pain is for the sake of my dear cousin's life, then I will have no argument about it."

"Okay then, I'll inject the medicine now."

The doctor went back inside the ICU and performed the operation, starting off by rubbing a part of his arm with a damp cotton ball. Then in goes the needle. Slowly, the doctor pushed the liquid towards the body until the contents of the syringe was empty; and carefully pulled the syringe and needle away. It was a perfectly-executed procedure—all that was left was to pray that the medicine would put an end to everybody's misery. All of a sudden, the beeping on the life support system gained speed and the patient himself was crying out in pain. He twisted and turned violently as the nurses pinned him down with straps from the stretcher and part of their strength.

"Don't let him break free! Resist the pain, boy!" The doctor yelled at him.

From outside the ICU, his relatives watch helplessly as he fights the pain all by himself. He stopped himself from moving around too much, wearing an excruciated face. The life support system beeped like crazy, saying that his heartbeat rate was going wild. He felt the pain spread like wildfire; from the chest area to parts of his body. It felt like something big was pressing him down aside from the tight leather straps and a handful of nurses pinning him down with all their combined strength. Also during this time, he dreamt of random conversations with Kagami in the past.

_"Takashi-__senpai__, I…really, you must be mistaking these roses for somebody else. I never have been approached like this before."__ (Chap 2)_

_"Wow, a stuff toy cat." __Kagami__ said.__ (Chap 10)_

_"T-Takashi-__senpai__…you talk as if you're a philosopher."__ (Chap 11)_

_"Stay away from me from now on." She said subtly but with anger building inside her.__ (Chap 15)_

_"You two used me as a prize. You took me for a trophy."__ (Chap 15)_

_"We're done talking. Don't look for me anymore." (Chap 15)_

While resisting the pain, Hajime kept on saying sorry over and over again. It was so repetitive; it was beginning to annoy the nurses who were offering their lives to pin the patient down. Tears flowed down at the side of his face.

Taking off the respirator, he cried in an agonizing voice: "I'm sorry, Kagami! I'm really sorry! Give me another chance to redeem myself!"

It was no time to be awed but Kagami couldn't help it. His cry was so loud, she heard every word clearly. The doctor took a fresh syringe and needle; measured a small amount of a tranquilizing agent; and injected it into his bloodstream. In a matter of seconds, Hajime involuntarily went to a deep sleep—a slumber that signified the end of his short yet painful suffering. The doctor stepped out of the ICU as the nurses brought the patient back to room 3177. All has gone quiet…for now.

"He's a very strong boy. He was able to resist the side effects of the medicine. As long as he eats something and he eats normally, he's going to be fine." The doctor concluded.

They were overjoyed by the feat of success. Hajime had cheated death right in the eyes and lived to tell the tale.

"That's good…" Kagami, badly pale, said before fainting and collapsing to the floor. The doctor immediately rushed to her aid and touched her neck.

"This is bad!" He said; calling for available nurses in the area. "She's burning with fever. Take her to the emergency ward!"

0

_The small town of __Washimiya__ on the Saitama prefecture was spared from the effect of torrential rains after the floodwater failed to reach the overflowing point extended by the sandbags as an effort of the quick response of the rescue teams in the area. Although a mass evacuation was issued amongst its citizens, they were relieved that their homes were spared from the destructive force of a flash flood that could've turned the scenario into New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Town officials say they don't regret issuing a mass evacuation because either way, casualties are prevented. As of today, the destructive current has subsided and the water level has gone down to only the top riverbanks. _

_In a related story, two bridges along the said river fell to the wrath of the wild rapids a few minutes ago. __As the water level and the speed of the river increased, the __Washinomiya__ Bridge, the nearest route to the well-known __Washinomiya__ Temple, gave way and collapsed; sending the debris floating towards the sea. Another bridge: the __Haninozuka__ Bridge, a vital route for commuters going in and out of the town, also gave way and rode with the wild rapids. Three more bridges along the river stood mightily against the raging rapids even though their support columns were__ obviously__ on the verge of collapse. Traffic officers have diverted traffic to the remaining intact bridges until engineers can reconstruct the fallen bridges. _

The ward was silent; the only source of noise was the television tuned on a news program. To the viewers, especially living in the said town, it was good news—no; great news. A flood on the scale like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina could've yield devastating results. The mass media showed evacuees returning to their respective homes along with their belongings and the gradual subsiding of the enraged water serpent. The torrential rain eventually became nothing more but a drizzle after a few hours of panic and havoc. Hajime slept the afternoon away like he should; considering the effects of the tranquilizer that was administered to him. He woke up after the effects wore off. He didn't know that room 3177 as well as all the patient wards in the hospital can accommodate a maximum of two people. Right by his side was Miyuki who fell asleep watching over his condition; and incidentally behind Miyuki was another bed with another patient. The other patient was still asleep.

"I forgot…the ward holds two people." He whispered. "I need to go to the bathroom."

He got up and along with his full pack of dextrose; he went straight for the toilet. A flush later, he emerged from the comfort room refreshed. He planned on going back to sleep but he got intrigued by his mystery roommate. His eyes didn't deceive him for sure when he looked at the patient: it was Kagami.

"What the—? Kagami-san…?"

His doctor entered the ward to check up on both of his patients. "It's only fever. I already gave her something to make her feel better."

"What happened to her, doc?"

"Most likely she got drenched in the downpour. Rain plus cold winds always add up to a serious illness. So how are you feeling?"

"A little noxious…"

"It means that the medicine is still in effect. You have to eat something for the microbes to eat on. In a matter of days, you'll be back to your feet."

"What about Kagami-san?"

"Take it easy, she's out of danger now. If I didn't take immediate action, she would have suffered terrible complications."

"I see…"

The doctor then decided to butt in his personal life. At least, it was for the satisfaction of his burning curiosity.

"I know it's not my business to ask this but are the two of you…?"

"In a relationship…? Yeah…it's a very long story…and a very complicated one."

"So I was right to put the two of you in the same room. You two are from the incident a few days ago, am I right?"

"It was unavoidable. Still, I felt totally responsible for getting it out of control. In the end, it was ruined by a painful slap. It was so painful, even medical science had no remedy for it."

"I sympathize with you. No matter how advanced technology is today, there will always be things that can't be solved by technology alone."

"If I just knew that this was coming…if I could go back in time, I could change the past."

"No matter how you look at it, it can never happen…at least for now. Get some rest. Both of you need it."

"Thanks for listening to my story, doc."

"Anytime you need me, give me a call through that speaker behind your bed."

Immediately, the doctor left the ward and Hajime returned to sleeping in his bed. A few minutes into his sleep, Kagami slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a ward. She looked beside her to see the sleeping princess and a roommate also sleeping. In fact, everybody inside the ward was fast asleep…at least, everybody except one.

"You heard every word, didn't you?" Hajime asked, staying stationary in his bed.

"What if I did?" Kagami replied arrogantly. "It's not like your words could make me forgive you for what had happened."

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I'm asking for another chance to redeem myself worthy."

"Aren't they the same? What are you talking about?"

"I've found my chance. After the semester, I'm going to America."

TO BE CONTINUED

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_One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love._

_-Sophocles (496 BC – 406 BC)-_

What do you do when the word itself is the weight and pain of life? Why does it feel different again when its...

**Kagami**** in the Rain 2: Desolation**

January 2008


	20. Wind

_Chapter 19: Wind_

"You heard every word, didn't you?" Hajime asked, staying stationary in his bed.

"What if I did?" Kagami replied arrogantly. "It's not like your words could make me forgive you for what had happened."

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I'm asking for another chance to redeem myself worthy."

"Aren't they the same? What are you talking about?"

"I've found my chance. After the semester, I'm going to America."

She wasn't surprised at all when she heard what he had said. It's as if she desired for him to leave her and her memory. Kagami stayed in bed, looking up at the ceiling of the ward. Eventually, she grabbed an apple from the table that separated their beds and peeled it with a peeler. Regardless of her cold shoulder towards Hajime, she still offered him half of the apple.

"The doctor said you need to eat." Kagami said and, blushing, handed over half an apple. "Apple…?"

"Sure, thanks." Hajime reached for the half an apple and ate it bite after bite.

"Don't get the wrong idea! You're Miyuki's cousin…and I don't want her to be sad."

"I haven't said anything but thanks. You're taking it too seriously."

"I can't rest easy because of what you and your sibling have done to me. Aren't siblings supposed to love and care for each other?"

"Just like you and Tsukasa-san…?"

"What does Tsukasa have to do with the both of us?"

"Nothing, I was only using the both of you as an example. See what anger does to you? It clouds your judgment."

Kagami blushed all the more. "S-S-Stop it, you're making me red."

"That's not my fault. Your emotions are acting on their will."

Because of their pointless and continuous quarrel, Miyuki eventually woke up rubbing her eyes. She saw her two best friends quarreling with each other. But it felt like it wasn't a serious quarrel at all. She giggled at them instead of stopping them. Kagami and Hajime both faced Miyuki who was now laughing rather than giggling.

"What's so funny?!" Both of them shouted.

"I'm sorry…but the fact that you two were able to talk to each other again…is pretty ironic." Miyuki laughed all the more.

Kagami and Hajime looked at each other one more time. Both of them were blushing when they looked into each other's eyes. They didn't know that a serious argument had turned into a lover's quarrel—something very cute and funny to look at like in the soap operas on TV. Immediately, they turned their heads away from each other.

0

It took only a matter of hours for silence to set in inside room 3177; where Kagami and Hajime were confined. Their meals came in timely despite the differences in their menus. Although Hajime still felt noxious after administering a vial of the secret medicine, his menu was typical meals served at home. In fact, the doctor prescribed him to eat as much as he could within 24 hours after administration otherwise the medicine could dig the grave for him. So his tray was more than he could've anticipated in a hospital. Kagami only had the usual in her tray but not as much as her roommate's tray. Hers included a bowl of steaming soup with mushrooms and croutons—not her everyday meal but for the sake of recovery it would have to do. Both of them avoided eye contact as much as possible as they ate what was served in the tray. The TV showed the town of Washimiya and its residents returning to their respective homes after a failed attempt for the floodwater to overflow into the suburbs. Thanks to the sandbags, they were able to stop the overflowing and gave time for the residents nearby to evacuate. Nevertheless, there will always be a new danger and this is just one of many of nature's atrocities.

Kagami couldn't stand the silence.

"What are you going to do there?"

"Where…?"

"In America…"

"My dad has a firm stationed in California. He's going to train me to manage his company."

"I see…and you're leaving after the semester."

"Right…"

"How long will you be gone?"

"Beats me…after what happened last Sunday, I don't have the guts to return to Japan anymore. I put the family name in shame. It felt like the only thing to restore my dignity was seppuku."

"What are you saying? Nobody does that these days."

"But it has been part of our culture."

"Look, if you're going to die, at least not now. Age yourself then do whatever you want with your life. You only have one life. You have to cherish it. Think about it."

"You're right, Kagami-san. I do have one life…and I've wasted it on pointless actions."

"You're so hopeless. Do I need to slap you again to straighten up your thinking?"

All of a sudden, Kagami saw a trickle coming out from Hajime's eyes. His body was trembling not because of the side effects of the medicine but rather of grief. His hands became clenched fists.

"Kagami-san…I…"

"Hey, what's the mat—"

"I LOVE YOU!"

Silence…and what he had been hiding for more than a decade had been finally released from its concealment. He wasn't able to say it in the past brought about by fear. Miyuki, hearing his three-word speech, accidentally cut herself with a peeler while peeling an apple. Hajime gasped and gasped until he caught his breath. It took a lot out of him—even his guts. But the most amazing reaction award favored Kagami. She too cried after hearing the words that strengthened the bond between two lovers.

"You idiot…!" She yelled. "That was supposed to be my line!"

TO BE CONCLUDED

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_There is no remedy for love but to love more._

_-Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862): Journal-_

It has been a full year since he left Japan. Now he has returned to start anew. But a new girl will challenge Kagami in every aspect of her life. How will she react to the looming threat? Will her love for Hajime be still intact? Or will it be destroyed by this new character?

**New Lucky Star Characters in the Story: **Yutaka Kobayakawa, Iwasaki Minami, Hiyori Tamura, Patricia Martin, Hikage Miyakawa, and Hinata Miyakawa

**New Fictional Characters in the Story: **Yamamoto Yakumo and Eri Hidaka

Now, it's more than love. It's war.

**"****Kagami**** in the Rain 2: Desolation"**

January 1, 2008; 12:00 AM GMT +8

Watch it as it happens.


	21. Pluvia

_Chapter 20: Pluvia_

_---Finale---_

After a long week inside the comforts of the ward, both patients in room 3177 were discharged. Their last set of tests convinced them that they were in good condition. Both were able to breathe fresh air outside the hospital despite the rain after a long week. For the both of them, they missed a week's worth of lessons and lectures from their teachers. Even for Kagami, making up for the lost time was very difficult to do. She was offered a ride home to Saitama by Hajime and his father's driver in luxurious style. No choice; she can't risk running while the rain is pouring otherwise she'll get more than a fever. Moreover, a sensation of shyness enveloped her as soon as Hajime blurted out the three words that marked a change in both of their lives. Aside from its simplicity in comprehension, "I love you" also spilled a decade worth of love in which Hajime had been hiding for several years. Even inside the car they kept their distance with Miyuki acting as a divider. The atmosphere contained nothing but silence. There were instances when they peeked at each other but it was short-lived. As soon as their eyes intertwined, they looked away from one another and pretended they didn't see each other in the process. Miyuki felt uncomfortable being the border between two cities. Speaking of discomfort, their little game of peek-and-run was becoming totally annoying. It went on as such until the limo set foot on the freeway where the view was blocked by a tall barricade and a handful of cars passing by every minute.

At last, Kagami grew weary of the utter silence inside the luxurious cruise. If there was somebody to start a conversation, it had to be her.

"So…the weather here's nice, isn't it?"

Bad move. Unless the continuous downpour was benefitting the people, her statement was out of the ordinary—an overstatement. Nobody reacted to her overstatement. If they had something bad to say, it was best of them to shut up. But even their quiescence was an embarrassment to her. She thought of a different topic that was worth talking about. But before she could even react, Hajime instigated the conversation this time.

"Did you mean it? What you said…"

"You mean…"

_"You idiot…!" She yelled. "That was supposed to be my line!"_

"Yup, that one…" He affirmed.

"It depends. Are we thinking the same?"

"It doesn't really matter. You've said your part and I've said mine. We are now on equal footing."

"No, we're still not. There's still one more thing I have to ask you."

"Anything, Kagami-san…"

"Of all the women in the country, why did you choose me? Your status in society is higher than me. Shouldn't you choose someone of your level?"

"It's because you're intelligent, elegant, sincere…"

"I mean your true intention. There are more women out there who are more intelligent, elegant, and sincere than me."

"You saw through me; as expected of you. I don't follow what others think who's best for me. Only my heart can do that. I was originally to be engaged to the daughter of another gaming company. But my heart felt unsatisfied about an arranged marriage. So I secretly disappeared from the banquet a few days before the celebration and never saw her again."

"What about the company? They would've been pissed off by what you did."

"The following day, my father found a loophole in the contract. Their intention was to take over our company upon merging. He broke the agreement and the company eventually closed because of bankruptcy."

"I see. He has a sharp eye for sharp things."

"Eventually, I saw you for the first time since my childhood; during my second year. My chest felt like it was suffering from a heart attack when I first saw you. But I didn't have the guts. So I built up my courage for a whole year before facing you."

"Don't be ridiculous. Just say 'I like you' or something."

"That's easier said than done. You hold the choice of rejection. You, as well as any normal girl in the whole world, wield the power to destroy a man from the inside. I can still remember the slap you gave me. It shocked me from top to bottom."

"What are you saying? Not everybody has that capability. I can still even say that not everyone is engaging in a relationship."

Silence…silence…and a never-ending stream of quiescence.

In the following days after their hospitalization, the semester officially ended. As soon as the teachers were done with their last-minute announcements, the students cheered jubilantly; some throwing their books and notebooks in mid-air. Random conversations erupted from the fissures of noise around the classroom. While a selected few packed their things and hurried to the arcade or the movies, Konata and the group gathered outside the building for some bonding time. They discussed tonight's slumber party at Miyuki's house. Kagami was feeling better now after a week of hospitalization despite the fact that there were gaps in her academic standing.

"Finally, I thought this day would never come!" Konata said in utter excitement.

"I'm pretty sure that those studying hard have the right to say that." Kagami replied.

"Don't sweat the small stuff, Kagamin. Besides, it's the end of the semester; time to have some fun."

"Fun…? You're already having fun even during the semester!"

"Whoa! Kagami-sama's going to breathe fire! Help me!"

"Shut up!"

They were eager to see Miyuki's house in the metropolis. Judging by her promptness, a rich family deserves a rich manor. That was their perception of her home. While they were discussing other matters concerning tonight's sleepover, Kagami overheard two senior students talking about Hajime.

"Hey, have you heard? Takashi's moving to America after the semester."

"Really…? Is it because of the Sunday Crisis (the name of the event given to Kagami's hostage situation)?"

"He didn't mention anything about that. He did mention about a business trip."

"Seriously…? He must be going to learn the tricks of the trade on running a multinational company."

Of course, she knew this set of information. The next set of information totally shocked her.

"Rumor also has it that he's going to be engaged to somebody once he's there."

"An arranged marriage…? I don't like the idea. But I guess it can't be helped. So who's the lucky girl?"

"I don't know. But I'm very eager to find out."

By the time she had heard of the piece of troubling news, her friends were calling out to her from afar.

"Kagami-sama, let's go!" Konata cried. "Your fancy dragon rider is waiting."

"Don't call me a dragon!" Kagami responded as if nothing happened to her.

0

The afternoon has passed by and the orange-dyed sky quickly turned pitch black. Little white dots started adding up to the silk black sky. The wind turned chilly and the wild racket of the suburban creature was silenced for now. Along with their bags, Konata: all the way from Satte; and the twins of Washimiya simultaneously arrived at Miyuki's house where lights beamed out of the huge windows facing the outside world. Miyuki and the others greeted each other as soon as the front door was opened for them. Kagami didn't see Hajime upon entering the living room where she thought he was likely to be there sitting in the couch and scanning every channel available on the TV.

A bubble bath and some snacks later, they hit the sack. Konata slept in disarray; one foot outside the blanket and the other outside the futon with both of her arms reaching outward in opposite directions—unlike the other three who slept just fine. A silhouette entered the room of the sleeping girls and tiptoed across the futon-laid floor. The stranger left a CD case beside Kagami and tiptoed back outside as silent as a stalker. It was two in the morning. The silhouette man, Hajime walked out of the house, where his father's limo was waiting, along with his two bags. He was getting ready to leave the house along with the country of Japan.

"If we hurry, we can still make it to Narita." His father told him.

"I feel bad about leaving without saying goodbye." Hajime said. "It's as if Kagami-san is watching me right now."

"You're right, she is."

"What do you mean?"

The old man pointed behind where Hajime stood, who upon turning around realized that his dad was not bluffing.

"You're leaving without even saying goodbye?" Kagami said. "And about the CD…I already have one."

"Keep it." Hajime replied. "You might misplace the other one."

"Before you leave, I have something to ask of you again."

"Before you ask, I also have something to say to you. I…I…am engaged to another girl."

Not a word came from her. She was either speechlessly shocked or was already informed by the rumor around the campus. She showed no sign of bewilderment or resentfulness; just a neutral face with nothing to say at all.

"Aren't you surprised? Angry?" He inquired curiously.

"Why would I be? That's great." She replied.

"Really…? I thought you would go ballistic or cry."

"I'm very happy for you. You found your ideal girl. I know it from the start that we're incompatible: me as a shrine maiden and you as the heir to a multinational company."

"Kagami-san, don't feel bad. Nobody can be more ideal than you."

"Don't waste this opportunity, Hajime-senpai. All I wish is a wonderful life for you and your family in America. Besides, I still have many options here in Japan."

Hajime decided to argue no more. He was about to miss his flight. He smiled and bid his last goodbye to his cousin's house, the national capital, the land of the rising sun, and finally to the girl he loved despite fate's obstacles.

"I guess this is goodbye." Kagami said.

"At least for now…" Hajime replied.

"Promise you'll come back."

"I will."

Hajime loaded his things on the trunk of the limousine and joined his father to the long journey to Narita where their flight was waiting. The long car left the Takara residence eventually on a cold morning. Kagami witnessed the limousine as it went away from the house until it could no longer be seen. She cried but not tears of sorrow and pain but tears of joy—tears that brought her new hope into her life for the journey ahead of her.

"Goodbye for now…Hajime-kun…"

0

Rain…a symbol of gloominess and sorrow. To others, it's only an ordinary seasonal downpour. To the intellectual ones, it's the element that will fight El Niño. It is in this weather that boy and girl come face to face to tell each other what they have been hiding the entire time. It is also in this weather that life will be put to the test to its extremities. But why does it feel different when it is…Kagami in the rain…

THE END

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Thank you to all the readers for reading my story. I'm a beginner at romance and drama genres so please don't flame me.

A spinoff before the sequel will be made. **"Yuri Yuri Yuri Dayo"**, a 15-chapter short fiction,will be released around the month of December. Then the sequel in January 1, 2008: **"Kagami in the Rain 2: Desolation" **

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!


	22. Trailer

_For the sake of the trailer, the lines will be written in script form. I hope you understand_

**Kagami: **I guess this is goodbye.

**Takashi: **At least for now…

**Kagami:** Promise you'll come back.

**Takashi: **I will.

_It started with a certain misunderstanding…at least according to one person. _

**Kagami: **You must have the wrong person. These flowers must be for somebody else. I'm only a junior and you're…

**Takashi: **Age doesn't matter to me. They're only numbers which divide our society.

_Their misunderstanding had led them to grave difficulties. _

**Ayano:** I'm sorry sensei but…we simply can't rest easy.

**Misao:** Not with Hiiragi like that…

**Nanako:** I know how you feel but it's simply too risky to stay at school with the rain gushing and ferocious thunderstorms.

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Miyuki: **Everything will be alright, don't worry. I believe in Kagami-san. You should, too.

**Tsukasa: **Yuki-chan…

**Miyuki: **If anyone can get through this, it's her.

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Miki: **You can't go outside. Rain showers and lightning storms are running amok out there.

**Tadao:** I have to. This is Kagami we're talking about.

**Miki: **You might get hurt out there. Wait for the storm to subside.

**Tadao:** Every minute we wait here is a part of our daughter's life being taken away.

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Kagami: **What? Let me go! Let me go! Who are you people?!

**Takashi: **Sano, what are you doing?

**Sano: **Taking what was rightfully mine for the taking three days ago: Hiiragi Kagami!

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Inori:** No, don't commit suicide! You'll be more miserable that way!

**Tsukasa: **Onee-san…Kagami onee-san is in danger! I can't take it anymore!

**Inori: **Don't cry Tsukasa. We will get through this. Everything will turn out for the better.

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Sano: **What did I even do to be forsaken…to be a hollow shell?

**Takashi: **I never took your glory away. I never planned to do so!

**Sano: **Liar; you just did…several years ago! I was next in line to succeed dad in the company. But instead, he picked you over me! Then you got the nerve to make Kagami fall in love with you?

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Kagami: **Stay away from me from now on.

**Takashi: **I know I've been such a jerk. I'm sorry.

**Kagami:** You two used me as a prize. You took me for a trophy.

**Takashi: **Kagami-san, it's not like that.

**Kagami:** We're done talking. Don't look for me anymore.

_But in the end…it was all a mere nightmare…in front of a bright reality. _

**Takashi: **I LOVE YOU!

**Kagami:** You idiot…! That was supposed to be my line!

_A full year has passed. The storms of the past have been swept away by the winds of the present. Still reflecting on his blunders he became ashamed of, Hajime Takashi returns to the land of the rising sun as a new man, leaving his dreadful past behind the shadows. __Then along came…_

**Yakumo:** Good day, everyone. My name is Yamamoto Yakumo. It's a pleasure to meet you all.

**Boy 1: **Wow, look at her! She's a cute one.

**Boy 2: **I heard she just came back from America to finish her high school here.

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Konata: **Really…?! You play at the same server as I do!

**Yakumo:** I'm also a wizard, like Kuroi-sensei. Maybe we can hang out and bash some creeps sometime.

**Konata:** It would be an honor. How's tomorrow night?

**Yakumo:** Too late…! Tonight, let's go all out!

**Konata:** I think I've found my true buddy.

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Yakumo:** Curry…? Overnight…? That's no good! The next thing you'll know, it's got molds.

**Tsukasa: **I thought that curry tastes better if left overnight.

**Yakumo:** Take it from me. I had the same experience.

**Tsukasa: **You're very knowledgeable in cooking.

**Yakumo:** I learned from experience. That's my best teacher.

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Miyuki: **I really admire you, Yakumo-san. You placed first on the mid-terms.

**Yakumo:** Come on, you're flattering me too much.

**Miyuki: **And to think that you spent much of your years abroad, yet you can understand Japanese fully…what's your secret?

**Yakumo:** It's called balance, Miyuki.

_An infuriated __Kagami__ enters the fray as the girl's existence continued to flourish inside the minds of her friends. _

**Kagami:** Listen you; don't get all too high and mighty just because you're smarter than me!

**Yakumo:** Huh…? Who's acting high and mighty? I'm just doing what I believe is right. Are you jealous?

**Kagami:** You're pulling my strings. Don't make me hurt you.

**Tsukasa: **Onee-san, please calm down.

**Miyuki: **Kagami-san, calm down. I'm sure she didn't mean what she said.

_Amidst her stand, she is eventually treated as an obsolete object—useless to the changing preferences of society. As a result, she is forgotten…until another girl came to her life. _

**Eri: **The sunset is very beautiful, isn't it?

**Kagami: **Hey, what are you doing standing on the rooftop?

**Eri: **I'm looking at the sunset, silly.

**Kagami: **That's dangerous! Come down this instant!

**Eri**: You're being too panicky. Try to stop for a while and smell the roses.

**Kagami: **W-Who are you?

**Eri: **Me…? I'm just a random school girl passing by.

**Kagami: **On the rooftop…?

**Eri: **I have special needs.

_Destiny will play with the triangle. Friendships will be put to the test. _

**Misao: **What's your problem? You're acting rude!

**Kagami: **Just leave me alone! You don't know anything what's really going on!

**Ayano: **Hiiragi-chan, I'm sure we can work out a solution.

**Kagami: **I don't need solutions! I want results!

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Miki: **Sometimes, there are things that we have to do even if we don't want to do. It's not because we think its right; but it's the only way.

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Kagami: **You idiot! Why did you have to bring her here? We were having a wonderful life until she showed up!

**Takashi: **Who are you to call me an idiot? You said before I left that I should take the opportunity! What's the matter with you? You're not the Hiiragi Kagami I knew in the past! You're some impostor trying to ruin what Kagami-san and I worked hard for!

---0---0---0---0---0---

**Sano: **You dumbass! If you're just trying to break Kagami's heart, then you deserve no girl in your life!

_On the first day of 2008, see Lucky Star in __the__ most unusual genre. _

**Lucky Star Cast – **Izumi Konata, Hiiragi Kagami, Hiiragi Tsukasa, Miyuki Takara, Yutaka Kobayakawa, Minami Iwasaki, Hiyori Tamura, Patricia Martin, Hinata Miyakawa, Hikage Miyakawa, and more.

**Fictional Cast – **Hajime Sano, Hajime Takashi, Yamamoto Yakumo, and Eri Hidaka

_Love is a never-ending feeling, yet a mysterious enigma that exists within people. Only through the sentiment of a boy and girl can the true definition be uncovered and unearthed. But alas, it's not always the case. The season of rain may end eventually. But the feeling experienced during the season can never fade away from the heart of one. _

_One word frees us of all the weight and __pain of life: That word is love._

_-Sophocles (496 BC – 406 BC)-_

_What do you do when the word itself is the weight and pain of life? Why does it feel different again when it's...__Kagami__ in the rain…the second time around?_

**"****Kagami**** in the Rain 2: Desolation" **

01/01/2008 12:00 AM; GMT +8 (Singapore)

_Let their own judgment determine their future. Watch it as it happens. _

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**Author's Note: **You might say from this trailer I'm getting all worked up in writing the second novel. I'll do my best to write this one.


End file.
